Fighting Fury
by SirArondight
Summary: Strom Teitsia, a teen who continues his journey through Remnant as he fights Grimm, Bandits, and members from Salem's Faction. The final battle at Haven is about to begin. Rated M for Blood, swearing and some Sexual Content. (Chapters 1 and 2 have been rewritten.)
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Hey, I have finally decided to get this chapter updated and revised for any new viewers who may come across this story won't be turned away by my… current writing skills at the time XD. Only Chapters one and two will be touched on for now and I'll reread the other chapters to see if I have made any mistakes along the way. Now that's enough out of me, I'll let you read now.)**

 **RWBY is the property of RoosterTeeth not me… please don't shut me down (TT_TT).**

 **I only own my OC and this laptop… and Strom is now two years old since his concept idea.**

 **Updated on 3/7/18**

 _ **Chapter 1: Someone Missed Initiation?**_

Glynda Goodwitch, who was ever so happy, happened to be going through the student transcripts again. Why, some of you may ask. Ozpin was thinking about someone with a barely finished transcript and wondered why it wasn't complete. Of course he couldn't just let in anyone into the prestigious academy, so they did miss initiation. Unfortunately for the Blonde Professor, she knew that he wouldn't let up about it as if this student were the key to the teacher's 'non-existent to the students knowledge' betting pool of shippings here.

"Ozpin is being really adamant about this right now. If he is correct about this one student, they could potentially ruin my hopes of getting the headmaster away from his 'beloved imported from Ministral' coffee from our small bet. And there could be a chance of causing the students to go into a riot from this student's… luck of getting in. Although I highly doubt that they would care as much." She said as she looked through every single application that counted into the thousands.

She imagined what might happen with the teachers. Fires engulfed the school, teachers having to work multiple jobs to pay off the debt and support themselves. While Beacon was broken down to near shambles, with Ozpin sitting at the top laughing maniacally with the entire pool of lien that he made from the betting pot to put into coffee budget before realizing that Ozpin was smarter than that.

"Wait." She spoke to herself and continues going through all of the students whose last names began with F "Ozpin only allow a maximum of 100 Lien from everyone so that there wouldn't be much of an issue to the teachers and faculty?"

"Indeed I did miss Goodwitch. And how is the search of the transcripts coming along?" Ozpin asked as he entered the door to her office.

"Going through every single one of these transcripts will not be done anytime soon." She stated looking at the headmaster and put away the file she was working on and began on the G file. "Do you happen to know what this applicant's name is?"

"I understand that it won't be an easy task and that it is a long one." He simply stated and took a sip of his mug of coffee. "And I do not remember the name of applicant, or what their name started with. I'll look through my desk and see if the transcript is there."

"Alright, I will continue to go alphabetically." She said before returning her attention to the file in front of her. "I hope that it is in your desk so that I can get back to my teachings."

"Okay, I hope that I find it too. Those young students will need every teaching that they can get from one of our finest teachers here." Ozpin said before leaving to head back to his office.

Glynda Goodwitch managed to get through the G and H files for approximately twenty five minutes in complete silence before her scroll began to ring showing the Headmaster's name lighting up on the screen.

She tapped on the green button on the screen. "Hello headmaster, how is your search going?"

"Yes I wanted to let you know that I found the transcript." He stated and placed the file down on the table.

She stretched, finally relieved of all the work," Well that's good. Where did you find it?"

"It was in my desk the entire time. I apologize for sending you on a wild goose chase." Ozpin apologized to the hard working professor.

"It's alright. I just hope that this applicant is good enough to cause you to think about letting them in." Professor Goodwitch said since she did go over all of the applications. "What was on his application?"

"Well, the interesting thing was that it was almost entirely blank, but there was a mention of many years of on field experience, yet there wasn't anything for recommendations for him. I'm glad that you brought this one to my attention at the time." Ozpin said before thinking about how to go and find the applicant. "I may have to think about sending out one of our teams out to go retrieve them."

"And I suppose that they may be missing some classes while they are getting all the information they can?" Professor Goodwitch asked to make sure of how everything was going to work out.

"That may be a possibility, but it should be fine this early in the school semester." Ozpin stated since Initiation was not too long ago. "I'll need to take some time to gather information beforehand, but I believe that I have the team in mind."

Team RWBY was getting done with Doctor Ooblecks class and currently making their way into their dorm to rest a little before Sparring class. Each member had their own little things to do before getting ready for the upcoming class as they entered the dorm room. Blake checked her blade to make sure that it was sharpened and ready for any upcoming fights that she may have to partake in. Weiss was making sure that her weapon was full of dust that she normally uses during sparring matches. Ruby tuned up her sweetheart and refilled every clip with ammo. Yang was relaxing and reading a magazine while tuning out Weiss's nagging about preparing for the unexpected.

"I'm glad that we get to burn off what we eat with a good fight in sparring class" Yang said with a bright smile.

"Just make sure you don't go too far this time like you did yesterday." Weiss remarked and remembered the incident.

"What? He took out a strand of my hair. You all know how I feel about that." Yang said getting defensive of what happened.

"You did hit him pretty hard, even for a sparring match." Blake stated knowing that Yang could have held back.

"He was fine." Yang said and closed the magazine. "His aura kept him from too much harm."

"He said something about chibi RWBY and JNPR" Blake deadpanned and Yang remembered that and looked down.

"I don't remember what he said afterwards, since I was trying to get Yang off of him." Ruby said and Yang's head lowered.

"The point is that to try and not act like such a brute in combat, Yang." Weiss said as Yang was getting frustrated.

"Fine, I will try to not go all out when I lose a single strand of hair. Now, if I lose all of my hair I will have all of you to blame." Yang said throwing her hands in the air in defeat as everyone else nodded and went back to what they were doing at the time.

"Who's ready to kick butt in sparring today?" Ruby asked her team and was excited to look at the weapons while they were in use.

"I don't believe I have any more preparations to make." Weiss said as everyone grabbed their weapons and got ready to leave for class.

"I'm ready and hope that I don't really have to fight." Blake said and grabbed a book to help keep her busy.

"I'm ready to get into a good fight." Yang said eager for someone to fight and win against.

"Then let's- check the scroll." Ruby started only to be interrupted by her scroll. Weiss rolled her eyes as her leader checked her inbox. Ruby's eyes widened and started to shine as she read her message. Ruby then rushed out the door with her semblance leaving rose petals leaving a trail. "To the headmaster's office for a mission, we go!"

"Wait, slow down Ruby, do you even know where you are going? Dolt!" Weiss nagged. Leaving Blake and Yang to just shrug off what happened as they tried to catch up to the duo.

Ozpin was at his desk and looked over the transcript again and thought about how team would go about handling this mission for recruiting a person who seemed to be in a questionable area. He was heavily considering sending one of the teachers to go with them for their own safety. The elevator rang and the door was knocked, letting him know that he had visitors coming. He already knew who would be at the doors as they opened.

"Ahh, Team RWBY. I do hope that I'm not being too much of an inconvenience right now." The Headmaster said with a warm smile and set down his mug on the desk. "Would you all care for a seat to be briefed of the mission or have you all come here to decline?"

"We are here for the mission you have for us" Ruby said with stars in her eyes. "So what is it? Grimm invasion on a small village? Taking down criminals that robbed a bank? Stopping illegal activities at a warehouse?"

"I must admit that the last one is pretty close." Ozpin admitted and set down a file onto the desk in front of them as they all took a seat and looked at the file. "You are free to look at the contents of the file."

"Ohhh, so it is taking down criminals in a warehouse." Ruby said excitedly as Weiss opened up the file and looked at the contents.

"Actually it's a transcript Ruby." Weiss stated and began to read out loud some of the information on the file. "Strom Teitsia, attended no schools, and wants to attend the most prestigious school in Vale. Why did he even try if he doesn't have a good transcript?"

"A very good question to ask indeed." Ozpin said and adjusted the glasses on his face. "I have learned that he is helping out the police with some illegal fighting rings that have been happening around Vale."

"So, what is he doing to help out and why are we talking about him?" Blake asked out of curiosity and also wanted to get to the point quicker.

"Well Ms. Belladonna, the reason why we are talking about him is that I was considering about letting him join the school. And of course he will have to have his own initiation to pass as well before we can officially accept him into the school system." Ozpin said and stood up and walked around. "That's where you four come in. I'm asking you all if you would like to help convince and then escort Mr. Teitsia to Beacon so that he can have a chance for his dreams to become a reality."

"So where do we go and when?" Yang asked out impatience and boredom. "And what happens if he refuses the invitation?"

"Where, is an old warehouse outside the main city and when, will be at eight tonight, seeing that is what I have been told by my sources." Ozpin stated and looked out the window to look at the school. "And while I don't expect him to refuse, should he do so… say thank you and then leave. We're not going to force him to come over if he does not see it as his path, just as I offer you this mission that could have easily been done by our staff members or Professor Goodwitch."

"Alright, just a search and then find and ask him to come over." Ruby said while counting the tasks on her fingers to make sure that she remembered each task. "Is that everything Professor Ozpin?"

"Just remember that he is not the only one there. There will be lots of spectators and quite a handful of others who will be participating in the illegal activity. So I warn you to exercise caution, stealth and to come back safe." Ozpin warned and looked at the four. "We don't need some of our brightest students getting hurt and we don't want to blow his cover too soon either."

"Okay then… so what do you guys think?" Ruby asked her team and looked at them for their reactions. Yang shrugged and nodded without hesitation. Blake simply nodded as well after giving the mission some thought. Weiss wasn't looking too happy about losing some classes.

"Well I for one am opposed to missing classes." Weiss said as Ozpin smiled.

"Of course you all will be excused for those classes and any work that you would have missed will also be excused." The man said and Yang instantly grinned widely alongside Ruby. "So you won't have to worry about any missing work. And there will be a small reward for successfully bringing him over here."

"Alright, I guess that we could take one day to prepare and take care of this mission." Weiss said as all of the eyes of her team were on her. Weiss then continued looking through the file. "Oh he's what he looks like."

The picture was simple. A slightly tan male in his late teens with short, spiky, gray hair, a red shirt, gray sweatpants, blue sneakers, a gray scarf, and a most noticeable red band covering his eyes.

"He seems… odd." Blake stated as she looked at the picture. "Is he blind?"

"It would look like it." Ruby said frowning a little. "How can he fight if he can't see?"

"Maybe it is his semblance that allows him to see of maybe he's not blind at all" Weiss said trying to think of logical reasons as to why Strom would wear the band.

"Perhaps this is even more reason that the four of you should go." Ozpin stated and added to their curiosity. "Who knows what semblance he has or how well he fights. Who could beat all of you or he could just be beaten by all four of you."

"Now I kind of want to test and see how hard he hits if at all." Yang stated imagining how he would fight.

"So are you all interested, because I do require the team leader to officially accept the mission." Ozpin stated and Ruby nodded with a smile. "Alright, I will send you all information onto your scrolls later. In the meantime you all can be getting ready for the upcoming mission."

"Do you guys know how excited I am?" Ruby asked vibrantly as they stood up and began to walk to the elevator.

"We know, Ruby, we know." The rest of the team said in unison and followed their excited leader.

When the time came around, Team RWBY had studied the mission and its contents from the information that was sent to them. Even the warehouse blueprints were added to make plans of where to go in case of certain situations rise up. They walked over to the bullhead and got on to go to Vale. They were in the proper clothing to blend in with the crowd. The only downside is that none of them had anything to eat.

"So we head in, ask him if he wants to join, and come back to Beacon with or without him." Blake said and tested to see that she remembered all of the details from the scroll message that was sent to them

"Basically that's what it says. Does anyone want to add anything to exercise caution in?" Ruby asked making sure that she knew anything about this had her team concerned.

"Well we should be careful about infiltrating this place. I do not want my face to be recognized at all if possible." Weiss said in a careful tone. After all she did want to protect her name.

"I can understand why. Lemme guess to protect your name?" Yang asked even though she knew that she got it on the mark.

"Well yes actually, I am surprised that you of all people would take that into consideration." Weiss said a little bit happy.

"I am glad that we had clothes at the ready for use to use." Ruby stated and her stomach growled loudly. "Sorry, I got too excited and made us all forget dinner."

"It's fine. We can just find a place to find food afterwards and chow down." Yang said and ran her hand through Ruby's hair and messed it all up.

"Yang!" Ruby pouted and fixed her hair up again as Yang laughed while Blake and Weiss smiled at the sisterly antics.

They landed outside of the city and looked at their scrolls to look at the warehouse to figure out the best method of getting to the rendezvous point. They all went together to ensure that they would all be safe. Eventually they found their way to the warehouse and were met with a bulky bouncer.

"Aren't you kids a little young to be here?" He asked them and narrowed his gaze on them. "I think that you all should be heading back home now."

"Awww, that's a shame. Here we are trying to get a little entertainment for the night and yet there's a big strong man in front of us that won't let us bet our Lien." Yang sweetly responded, before showing some gold Lien cards and bent over a little to show off more of her cleavage. "And I heard that you all have a new guy here fighting and we just wanted to see if we could help cheer him on his first day."

"Well… I probably shouldn't, but… fine. Head in and… watch how short his career will be." The bouncer said trying to avoid looking at Yang's breasts.

They entered into the building and Yang's eyes became red for a moment. Ruby saw her and felt sad and worried for her sister.

"Everything alright Yang?" Ruby asked her sister and was met with lilac eyes.

"Yeah… I'm fine, let's just find him, ask the question we need to and then get out of here and get some food." Yang responded as they walked through the crowd.

"I am disgusted by these revolting, pigs. Watching others break bones because they're too scared to do it. This is not legal." Weiss stated quietly when they got to a point where no one was around.

"I agree with you Weiss. Fights should be controlled and safe for everyone, not savage and crude." Yang stated with a frown.

"I would hate to see what happens to Faunus here in this unforgiving hellhole." Blake said quiet enough that no one else could hear her.

Ruby was about to say how she feels when the speakers boomed. "This is the last call for placing bets for our first fight of the night. We have the newcomer-" The MC was pausing to let the audience have their reaction at the name and then waited for them to finish up before continuing. "Against the one the only, the man who leaves faces covered in their blood, it's Blood Lust! The odds are 50-1 in Blood Lust's favor."

At the mention of the odds Yang grew a wide smirk and thought about the cash opportunity. "I think I am going to make a bet for us."

"Wasn't the mission for us to go in and talk to him?" Ruby said and Blake nodded

"Yes Ruby thanks for remembering, and Xiao-Long we are not taking part of any activities here." Weiss stated and wanted to scold the blonde teammate longer.

"Yes Weiss I know that I was trying to make the atmosphere lighter and to help us blend in, if you know someone were to come around the corner and hear us talk about what we're doing." Yang said getting serious and stared her down.

If life were so cruel there would have been anyone there to catch them in the middle of their conversation. Luckily, life was somewhat cruel towards them because at that point someone had tapped on Yang's shoulder after she said that. Freezing in place Yang turned around slowly with fear that they had just blown their cover. What Team RWBY found was the one person that they needed to see.

"Well, what do we have here? A team of well meaning people in this establishment? I wonder if I should tell anyone else about what I have discovered?" He said and watched their reactions of shock. "Or, I could let this slide, and follow through with my original plan."

"What was your original plan?" Ruby asked out of innocent curiosity.

"Nothing much just to go in, fight, make money for my family, and then let the police handle this as we talked about. Why do you have a better idea?" He asked trying to see if anyone of them had a better idea.

"How about all of that, and treat us to dinner?" Yang said in her most flirtatious voice possible.

"Oh. Uh yeah, I can accommodate for you all. I was going out to my favorite place anyway." He said as Yang was taken by surprise how quick and calm he was to answer.

"Well I guess dinner is on him then?" Yang said before remembering the mission. "Could we leave here and ask you a question while we're at dinner?"

"Well we can leave right after my fight with Blood Lust. Although 'fight' would not be the right word for it." He said sounding a little disappointed. "More of a disable their biggest threat before the police storm in and arrest everyone."

"By the way, could we get your name? Just to be certain you say who you are." Weiss asked as she didn't want to mistake him for someone else.

"Well I suppose that I could, but who are you four? How do I know that you are who you say who you are?" He said with a grin. "Bye, maybe I'll see you all later."

"Wait, where do we go to watch?" Ruby asked in vain as he was already gone."

"Drat." Weiss exclaimed. "We were so close to asking him to join us."

"Can't really call it getting him to join us if we haven't even begun talking yet." Blake stated as she noticed people going to the seats. "Well it looks like that they're about to start."

When the team got situated with seats the fight was about to begin, Yang managed to place a small bet down before taking her seat. Weiss scowled when Yang went on about how she placed money down on Strom to win. She was about to go on with her story until the two fighters came out. There was a huge, burly man coming out wearing a blood red shirt which barely contained his muscles and black pants with black shoes. And after he came out his opponent came out and silence followed.

"Just what in the world is he wearing?" Weiss asked trying to comprehend what she was looking at.

"I don't know Weiss. I don't even know what he is wearing around his waist." Blake added trying to look away from the horrible sense of fashion.

"Is… is he trying to look cool?" Ruby asked as Yang whistled. "Yang, why?"

"Look at those toned muscles. He has worked hard to get that." Yang said and hoped that she could get just a little bit of a show.

The teen that RWBY had talked to earlier was standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, wearing his red band over his eyes, a gray scarf still around his neck, and a white sarong around his waist. Otherwise he was completely bare. His muscles were lean and toned well for many years.

"Let's just get this fight over with." The teen said without enthusiasm.

"Who wears a towel to fight in?" Blood Lust asked as some people laughed. "I guess I know what I'll use to clean up the blood with."

"Hey it's a sarong!" The younger fighter shouted and relaxed and breathed. "Shall we begin?"

"Yeah whatever, I'll tear that towel in front of you when you lose." Blood boasted and cracked his knuckles.

The bell rang to start the match, and Blood rushes his opponent, grabs a hold of the white cloth, undoing the questionable battle garment and strips him. Weiss was in shock and was slow to avert her eyes. Blake simply looked up to avoid the sight. Yang was covering Ruby's eyes to protect her innocence while curious to see what the teen had packing. He was prepared however, underneath the white cloth he was wearing black compression shorts that went halfway down his thighs. Blood was caught off guard about his opponent's calmness, and looked at him with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"You made a grave mistake." He said and spun to gain momentum before jumping and kicking the giant man in the right temple of the head with the ball of his right foot. The giant fell to the ground and was already knocked out from contact of the kick. The teen just grabbed his sarong and tied it again before leaving the ring muttering to himself.

"Well that was fast." Blake mentioned before standing up and got ready to follow their target

"Let's just get him and get out of here." Weiss said trying to get the image out of her head.

"Don't assume that he'll just come with us just like that." Yang said as they all followed out of the crowd

"That was so cool, he was just 'You done wrong' and BAM just knocked him out like nothing." Ruby was awestruck with the sight she saw. "OH there he is! Let's follow him and catch him by surprise."

The team followed their target past the guards and the other fighters into his room, staying absolutely silent the entire time while they hid behind some cardboard boxes. After they got into his room he decided that it was enough playing around.

"So how long is this game of 'Try to hide from the blind man' going for?" He asked and turned at the four of them with a bright smile.

"How did you know?" Ruby asked in shock while the rest of the team was in disbelief that Ruby gave away their position.

"I was able to see you guys from the time you all entered the building." He remarked and pointed to his band on his head. "After all I don't rely on my eyes to see."

"Okay, how about a real answer this time?" Weiss asked impatiently and tapped her foot.

"Like I said, I was able to see you guys by using my aura as a sense to see everything everywhere I go." He said a little irritated and wanted the tapping the stop. "So, could you please stop tapping your foot."

"That is a unique way to adapt to blindness." Blake said a little impressed.

"I appreciate the compliment, but I liked it better when I could see with my eyes." He said sadness with his tone, but he was quick to recover. "Well I am ready to go eat, and I believe that I offered to take you all out to eat?"

Before anyone could answer, Ruby's stomach made a loud growl. Yang was laughing about what had just happened. Blake was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud, barely succeeding. Weiss just looked astonished to what she just heard.

"Sorry, I am really hungry so if we can leave now that would be great." Ruby said with a red face that would give her cloak good competition.

"RUBY ROSE! Where are your man-" Weiss started to go off when her own stomach decided to growl with hunger. Yang completely lost it from what happened and Ruby joined her, laughing so hard that she was on the floor. Blake had lost her composure and was laughing, not as hard as Yang and Ruby though. She was just chuckling about it.

"Might I be able to get names from everyone?" He asked as it was polite to exchange names.

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Weiss said and curtsied as she practiced a little.

"Blake Belledonna." Blake stated with a small smile.

"I'm Ruby Rose and this is my sister-" Ruby said and paused to let her sister introduce herself.

"-Yang Xiao-Long at your service." Yang finished her sister's sentence with a salute.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Now shall we go get some food before the restaurant closes?" He asked them and got all of his belongings ready to leave.

"Aren't you going to tell us your name as well?" Weiss asked in a slightly agitated tone. "After all we do need to make sure that you are who you say you are."

"Oh dear, how rude of me, I am Strom Teitsia pleased to meet you all." Strom said with a smile and pulled out his scroll. "Now shall we leave and get food?"

 **A/N: Well I finally rewrote the first chapter. The Second chapter is now being worked on. I still have to thank the following lovely people.**

 **Rooster Teeth- Thank you very much for being awesome and continuing RWBY.**

 **Monty Oum- You started all of this. You gave RWBY to the community and created a work of art. Thank you. May you rest in peace. You will never be forgotten.**

 **And of course You, the readers.**

 **Well that's about it that I have to state in this Author's note. I hope you all have enjoyed and Do what you love to do, and continue doing so.**

 **This is SirArondight riding off.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note of the Author: Here we are, Chapter 2 is finally getting the rework done. I hope that you all enjoy the rework done for chapters 1 and 2.**

 **Reviews are always welcomed. If I don't know what is wrong with the story I can't try to fix it.**

 **RWBY is the property of RoosterTeeth.**

 _ **Chapter 2: Initiation isn't easy.**_

Team RWBY and Strom left the warehouse after Strom made a call to the police and made sure that he cleared out the four girls names before the police arrested everyone, however Yang had to give back the money that she won from the bet. All who tried to escape for some reason just couldn't, not even the police knew why the doors wouldn't open. Strom and his dinner guests were walking down the street in hopes to find a good restaurant in Vale.

"Well I will ask now. Where are you taking us exactly?" Weiss asked as they passed many different places to eat.

"We're going to the Four Corners of the World." He said with excitement, even though he was receiving questionable looks from the others as the stopped for a moment.

"It's real, so you should be able to look it up on your scrolls." He said and grinned. "They have a very wide menu with reasonable prices.

"Wow. They have pizza, pork, salads, pasta, soup, stew, chicken, fish, burgers, and-" Ruby was on her scroll searching for the menu and was amazed by what they have and she went on until Blake cut her off.

"What kind of fish do they have?" Blake asked in a rush to get her answer throwing whatever calm thought she had out. "Tuna? Salmon? Tuna?"

"Well they have tuna, salmon, catfish, mahi-mahi or rainbow fish, lobster and crab from Atlas, conch, and my personal favorite mutton snapper." Strom listed off while Blake was deep in thought about fish and her mouth was showing how she felt as well.

"Calm down Blake, we're all hungry." Yang stated with a smile.

"What is the restaurant's atmosphere like?" Weiss asked taking a step away from Blake, who was drooling still. "It sounds like that it would be a rather large place."

"Well it's really outgoing and friendly. The staff is very friendly towards all who come inside. It can get loud sometimes, but it's a place that I love to go to." Strom said happily.

"Well, I suppose that this will do for me then." Weiss said a little bit of joy hidden in her voice. "I'll be happy to just have a nice meal."

"Please tell me that this isn't a stuck up place with boring music we're heading towards." Yang said nearly complaining.

"Actually Yang it says on the website that it's remix night." Ruby said which gave Yang hope that the night won't be boring.

"Alright then I think that I will have a-" Yang started before being interrupted by Weiss.

"Don't you dare think about having a drink here tonight!" Weiss shrieked hurting ears around her.

"Would it kill you to have some volume control Weiss?" Blake shouted now being brought back due to the ringing in her ears.

"Hey guys." Ruby said trying to get their attention.

"Well sorry for reacting appropriately for underage drinking." Weiss stated defensively.

"Yeah, but you don't have to be loud enough to kill someone. I was only kidding." Yang said starting to go on the offensive.

"Well your 'kidding' is going to get you in big trouble one of these days." Weiss snapped back.

"Hey guys!" Ruby said louder still trying to get their attention.

"Well I'll just deal with it when-" Yang started to say before Strom snapped.

"The more you three argue the more likely I'll say screw dinner and go home!" He shouted and got the three to be quiet before turning to Ruby. "I believe you have something to say Ruby."

"Yeah we are about to walk past the restaurant." She said a little frightened about the arguing.

"Thank you Ruby and I'm sorry for snapping like that at you all. It's was uncalled for." He said apologetically. "Let's go and get full stomachs."

"Well, I guess my jokes should be more pun based and not what I think." Yang admitted.

"I do suppose that I was louder than expected to be." Weiss said with regret in her voice.

"So are we all good to go because I'm still hungry." Ruby said with care in her voice.

"Yes I think we are Ruby." Blake said with a hesitant smile. "Sorry Ruby."

They all headed inside, took their seat, and already ordered their food. Weiss was having lobster tail and a salad, Ruby ordered a strawberry salad and chicken strips, Blake was eating to her heart's content with the fish special, that included shrimp, tuna, salmon, scallops, and a Caesar salad, Yang was keen on getting a meat lovers pizza, and Strom simply wanted ramen and mutton snapper.

"I have to admit that this is better than what I was expecting." Weiss said and ate the lobster. "It was very well presented and luckily didn't break your bank."

"Well it's why I suggested this place because the people are fine and the food is finer." Strom said happily as he slurped his noodles. "And don't worry about the bill. I happen to save up what I make just in case this was to happen.

"Do your parents work at all?" Blake asked remembering why he was at the warehouse. "I guess what I'm asking is why are you having to work so early?"

"My mom is a waitress at the local café where I was born. My dad was a SDC miner but had to leave." Strom said and set his bowl down. "So I had to step in to help support my family when I learned that they were having money troubles."

"Why is that? I don't think that SDC had to let anyone go before. Help was always appreciated." Weiss said trying to remember if what she said was true. "Then again… he doesn't always keep me informed about what's going on…"

"Well he was a miner until a Grimm attack 13 years ago. He lost his right leg from the knee down from an Ursa." He said sadly remembering the day all too well.

"We're sorry to hear that." Ruby and Yang said together.

"Since then he couldn't hold onto jobs that long due to his condition, but he did learn that you can kill an Ursa with a pickaxe to the eye." He said trying to quickly recover and smiled. "He's happy that he can be with his family more now. He also is looking for a job and I think that he was looking at a librarian position at Signal."

"I remember that night. My father was completely unconcerned about the issue since everyone else got out safe. I'm sorry that this brought up bad memories." Weiss said with sadness in her voice.

"Do you have any siblings?" Ruby asked innocently trying to move the topic.

"Yes, I have a younger brother and sister, but enough about me. I have been meaning to ask this but, you all seem to have been looking for me. Why?" He asked hoping to get some answers and information.

"Well you see, we have been assigned a secret mission to infiltrate the warehouse and-" Ruby began to list every single event that happened before they got to here before Blake stepped in.

"We wanted to ask you if you want to join Beacon." She said with a smile. "It would give you a better job after the years pass by."

"I was getting there Blake." Ruby huffed and went back to her salad.

"You want me to join Beacon? This better not be some sort of sick joke." Strom laughed and shook his head. "I already tried to get in and I have the rejection letter to prove it."

"Nope if this were a sick joke, I would be making 'pun' of you right now." Yang smirked while gaining groans from everyone except for Strom. Who was trying to make sure that he was awake as his scroll began to ring.

"Well as much as I would love to join I have… a phone call to take?" Strom said confused to who is calling. Meanwhile a certain red reaper was smiling widely.

"Hello?" Strom asked.

"I got some good news for you Strom. Guess who became a Librarian for Signal academy?" The voice was loud, proud and most likely his father from what the female team could guess.

"No way! You got a job, that's awesome dad." Strom said super excited.

"Yes it is. So now you can stop fighting at those fight clubs for the police." His father said nonchalantly.

"How did you know about all of that?" Strom asked mystified as to how he knew. "I made sure to make everything as unsuspecting as possible."

"Really? With the kind of money you were sending we could have retired." His father teased. "I could have made the Schnee family jealous with your generosity.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that we didn't-" Strom started before his father cut him off.

"Strom, I know why you did it. But you don't have to anymore. So anything interesting happen today?" His father asked making sure that his son was alright.

"Well… I got an invitation to study at Beacon from four girls today." Strom said without realizing that he set himself up for embarrassment.

"Were they cute?" His father asked in a teasing tone.

"DAD!" Strom shouted a little flustered and fumbled with his scroll to figure out how to make it quiet while Yang giggled lightly alongside Ruby.

"What? I just wanted to know, that is all." His teasing continued. "So are they cute? Come on~ tell me all about them."

"So I should attend Beacon?" Strom asked looking to hopefully change the subject.

"As long as it's your choice and you're happy with it, is fine with me." His father replied and decided to end the teasing.

"Alright, then tell everyone else that I said hi and stay well." Strom said with a warm smile.

"I will." His dad said for a simple reply. "Now, get out there and kick some Grimm's teeth out.

"I love you, bye." They both said at the same time and hung up.

"Well I see that my master plan has worked out quite nicely" Ruby said to herself.

"So, where do I sign up?" Strom said with a big grin on his face.

"On the flight to Beacon." Weiss answered and smiled knowing that they have just secured themselves a nice reward from Ozpin.

The team and extra person got off the bullhead and started to make their way towards the school when they were met by 6 other people. Team RWBY knew team JNPR, Ozpin and Glynda would be there to help welcome Strom to Beacon since they sent the message out ahead of time.

"I take it that the mission was a success then?" Ozpin asked even though he knew the answer already.

"Team RWBY reporting for duty. We have gotten our target, Strom Teitsia, to come to Beacon to become a hunter." Ruby stated with a salute.

"Well then, welcome to Beacon. I am headmaster Ozpin." said the man holding the coffee mug. "I hope that you can find yourself amongst the other teams someday."

"Welcome, I am Glynda Goodwitch, Combat Instructor." Professor Goodwitch introduced herself. "If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to bring them up to me.

"Nice to meet you both, I am Strom Teitsia." He said introducing himself to everyone and bowed a little. "I hope that we all can get along together and make every day count."

"Well I know that everyone here is tired, so I'll have your initiation tomorrow at one in the afternoon." Ozpin said and sipped from his mug.

"That sounds very nice to be able to get some rest right now." Strom said and checked his bag for a water bottle.

"He can sleep with us tonight." Ruby blurted out for everyone to hear. Blake was worried about him finding her "literary art" collection of books. Yang didn't seem to mind what-so-ever, Weiss however… was less than pleased.

"Ruby! We are not going to have-" Weiss was about to go off on the red reaper before Glynda stepped in.

"Miss Schnee, that's enough! I'm sorry Miss Rose but Strom will have to sleep in the ballroom for tonight. He will be assigned a team tomorrow and then will go with them."

"I understand." Ruby said looking and feeling crestfallen.

"I'll be taking my leave then. Goodnight students. Miss Goodwitch I would like to talk to you about tomorrow's initiation." Ozpin said making way towards his office, with Glynda a few steps away from his side.

"So I see that there are more people here to meet me." Strom said and acknowledged the team in front of him. "Hello to you all."

"Yeah, they're our friends, dorm buddies, comrades, and classmates." Ruby said with pride while walking to the team in question. "This is team JNPR"

A white aura in the shape of a man walks up to him and extends his hand, "Hi, I'm Jaune Ark, leader of team JNPR. Nice to meet you Strom."

"Thank you very much Jaune. I appreciate that." Strom said as they shook hands. Strom made sure to use a firm grip for professionalism while Jaune's was more casual.

"Wow! That is quite the grip you have there." Jaune reeled back in slight surprise. He was then pushed aside as a girl with orange aura rushed up to meet Strom.

"Is that true? Do you have a strong grip? Prove it and I might give you pancakes… not really but I will allow you to work in my castle as the head sloth caretaker. By the way my name is Nora Valkyrie. Wait… do you like sloths?" Nora spouted out questions and information at the same time.

"I uhhh… what just happened?" Strom said in confusion trying to piece together what she just said. Luckily for him a male with magenta aura comes up and places one hand on Nora's shoulder.

"Nora please calm down. I am Lie Ren. She asked if you like sloths." Ren said calmly as Nora was still jumpy but quiet.

"Well, they are adorable." Strom said relieved about everything. Before Nora could ask or say anything else another girl with red aura walked up patiently and shook hands with him.

"Hello, my name is Pyrrha Nikos. Welcome to Beacon." She said like she practiced it for a long time.

"Nice to meet you too Pyrrha, and do you mind if I ask you a question?" Strom asked politely.

"Sure I do not mind at all" She said but what she thought was 'here we go again'.

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked and Pyrrha looked like that she was asked a question about space travel.

"Well I do believe that it is eleven pm right now, so we should think about heading in for the night." Pyrrha responded after looking at the time.

"I agree. Well time for me to find the ballroom and bathroom." Strom said and made sure that he had all of his items and that nothing dropped.

"I think I can help with that." Yang said. The two teams plus one now heading into the school for the night and to show Strom where he would be sleeping, unaware of the plans Ozpin has set up for tomorrow.

Ozpin and Glynda were discussing about initiation tomorrow for the new hunter in training, and what options they had to go with.

"He will have four tournament style battles with no time for aura recovery." Ozpin stated. Glynda was in shock of what she just heard for one initiation and thought that was a little too much for anyone.

"Headmaster wouldn't it be better to send him over the cliffs and find he relics like you always do." Glynda stated with concern in her voice.

"Normally that would happen, but seeing as that initiation was a week ago there may not be anything to test him on right now. Having 4 battles here in a controlled environment doesn't sound like the worst idea right now." He reasoned with her. "Besides, you were against going out and placing all the relics out there."

"Because those were our chess pieces for our game we were currently playing." She said and remembered how upset she was when she learned that the chess pieces were the relics. "I still can't believe you used the chess set of all things."

"You still won in the end." Ozpin stated and remembered how she placed him in checkmate.

"Well then who are we going to send into the arena with him?" she asked after a minute of thinking.

"In order: Cardin Winchester, Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, and Yang Xiao-Long." He said after putting some thought into it.

"I will notify the students that will be participating tomorrow before 10am." She said turning around to go to her room for the night.

"One more thing before you leave, I am placing 50 Lien on Fighting Fury." Ozpin declared.

"Fine I will let the teachers know of that bet." She sighed as she walked away.

"You have a long road ahead of you Strom; this is only a step on that journey." Ozpin whispered.

Strom got up at his usual time of six in the morning to begin his daily routine; drink two bottles of water, train for a good 5 hours, and then wash up for the day. Noticing that it was 1130, he decided that to get a lunch in before his initiation. Dressed in his casual wear he left the ballroom to find Ruby just outside about to knock.

"Oh! Hi Strom, I was wondering since it was getting close to lunch time that you may need some guidance to where it is. So here I am trying to help out not saying that you need it or anything but-". Ruby went on and on trying not to offend him as he interrupted her.

"Ruby, it's fine. I know that you are taking into consideration about the fact that I know where nothing is, and you are right. Yes, I would appreciate the help." He said calmly and with a smile.

Ruby and Strom went onwards to the cafeteria; she had a slight blush to her cheeks as they made towards the tables with the rest of team RWBY and JNPR.

"Out of curiosity do you guys know what my initiation might contain?" Strom asked trying to get a little info before initiation. What he got though did not help him.

"Yes, we do." Both the teams answered in unison.

"Okay, something tells me that you all will not tell me about it." He said slightly scared about the unison of their voices.

"That sounds about right. So are you going to eat before initiation, Strom?" Yang asked.

"Yes I will. I think some pineapple and a turkey sandwich will do." He replied and went to get what he wanted to eat.

After lunch and talking with the teams the clock turned to one in the afternoon and right on time Ozpin came on the intercom to announce to the students what was going on today.

"Good afternoon, students please head to the arena for today's event." He said.

"Well I guess wish me luck guys." Strom said with a smile.

"Good luck Strom." Ruby said with a wave. "We'll be cheering you on."

Everyone was in the arena in the seats meanwhile Strom was in the room next to the entrance drinking water. Meanwhile the first fighter was already in the arena at the ready.

"Strom Teitsia, please enter the arena for initiation." Glynda announced.

Strom walked into the arena and tightened his band, scarf, and sarong, noticing that there was a mace wielder in the ring with him.

"I know that we need hunters to kill grimm, but having blind people here just shows that we're desperate." Cardin says with overconfidence written all over his face as he continues, "I bet you won't even last 20 seconds against me. I will knock you out of the ring before you can think of what just happened."

"You know people who talk a lot don't usually have to skills to back it up." Strom said with a grin to help anger his opponent.

"Let initiation begin." Glynda had announced.

They both charged towards each other, Cardin swinging his mace from the right. Strom went underneath the swing to jab his opponents opening with his left. Then spinning around he kicked Cardin with his right and managed to push the heavy armored teen twenty-five feet back.

Yang whistled and was impressed by the strength that the kick had, "That's impressive, I can't wait to fight and see what he's really made of."

Cardin gasped for air, trying to process what happened to him just then. He takes a glance at his aura meter and was already down to 70%. He starts to prep his mace for another attack, there's one difference; the mace was making a vibrating sound. As Cardin got closer to swing, Strom's instincts screamed to dodge the attack. Next thing he knew is that there was an explosion in the arena.

"Yikes, I'm glad I moved before that hunk of metal bashed me." Strom said eyes widened if you could see them.

"Yeah, but don't worry I'll make sure that you don't get a chance next time to dodge." Cardin shouted.

"Has it been 20 seconds yet? Wow, Time flies when you are busy. So I haven't been hit yet, are you done going easy on the blind man right now? If you are I want to get this match over with now." Strom taunted Cardin to succession.

In a fit of rage he swung his mace again and again until he had Strom in a corner of the arena with no chance of escape. Unfortunately Strom had a plan that might just work. As Cardin raised his mace into the air, Strom jumped into the air kicked the mace straight into the air and landed behind Cardin. He then proceeded to kick behind the right kneecap as he grabbed Cardin's left shoulder, effectively making him turn to face Strom. It was time to end the match so Strom slammed his right punch into the sternum of Cardin, who then was launched into the ground. After that Strom threw ten punches at his downed opponent's abdomen. Finally Strom stood up and left the corner and sat down counting the seconds.

"Why did he back off? Cardin is not in the red yet, he still has 25% left." Jaune said trying to figure out why.

"It is over Jaune. Just wait for it." Pyrrha said with certainty and pointed up.

Cardin started to get up, saw that his opponent was sitting down without a care in the world. He was about to go after Strom until his mace came back down on his head, exploding on contact. When the dust settled Cardin was on the ground again with nothing left for aura.

"The winner is Strom Teitsia." Glynda announced. "Would the rest of CRDL take their leader to the side where we have infirmary at the moment."

Shock was in the face of lot of students in the first year. Beating Cardin is one thing, but fighting without a weapon is just insane to hear. Yang was getting very excited for her match with him. Weiss just looked bored, while Blake studied some of his moves. Ruby was bouncing in her seat and vibrating Jaune, who was trying to calm the reaper down. Nora was talking to Ren. Pyrrha was studying her future opponent as well.

"Yeah our fight is going to be the best out of all today." Yang said with full confidence.

"He does know what he is doing when it comes to martial arts." Blake said.

"Yes, but how much is he holding out on us?" Ren asked analyzing Strom.

"He did seem to be toying with Cardin from the start of the match." Pyrrha said.

"Forget about that did you see how far Cardin was sent back from that kick?" Yang said still anticipating her fight only to forget one crucial thing. "Anyone who can hit that hard can-"

"Ruby Rose, please come down to the arena." Glynda announced to the audience. Yang was struck with worry and fear for her sister.

"-Can definitely send her to the medical room." Yang finished with a lot more worry in her voice. The other members were concerned about how the match would play out.

Strom looked around the arena to find that a few things were off; Ruby wasn't in the arena yet, and Yang had a worried look on her face.

"Ruby Rose, please make your-" Glynda started to announce when Ruby rushed into the arena.

"Sorry, I had to grab Crescent Rose."

"You named your weapon Crescent Rose? That's a really beautiful name." Strom said causing the red reaper to blush a little.

"Thanks, but don't you go thinking that I would let you win because of that statement." Ruby said with conviction. "I am here to press you to your limits!"

"Well that's good because I wasn't going to allow you to go easy on me." Strom said and widened his stance.

Ruby then unfolded her scythe to indicate that she is ready; Strom took up a stance as well.

"Let the second match begin!" Glynda announced.

Ruby sped towards Strom with help from her semblance, giving him almost no time to react to he swings. He successfully moved out of the way for her onslaught. Ruby then backtracked a little to fire off three shots. Strom barely dodged all of them, all while thinking.

' _A gun? Seriously? I bet next round will have a javelin, sword, and gun in it. Okay, so she can fire her gun far away and will slice me up if I get close… I can end this with a few choices of combos to pull off but… Yang's face clearly is worried enough to the point where if I lay a hand on her cloak… wait cloak? That's it!'_

Coming to his conclusion he decided to make his move now. He rushed to Ruby with speeds she was impressed with, throwing a punch towards her stomach. She sidesteps with her natural speed semblance while thinking.

' _You are quick I will admit that but not fast enough to beat me.'_

Unfortunately for her, he did manage to accomplish his objective. With one hand on her cloak, he pulled hard enough to get her off balance, but not hard enough to do damage to the cloak. He then wraps Ruby and her weapon inside her own cloak, tucks her tightly to ensure that she doesn't escape. Picking her up gently, he then places her outside the arena. Glynda wasn't sure how to describe how it looked but she does know who the winner is from the battle.

"The victor is Strom by ring out." She announced a little shocked about what she just saw.

Strom hops down from the arena to help Ruby out of his trap. Yang rushes over to make sure that her sister was alright. Ruby was sad and starting to sob about her loss.

"I thought that I could at least hit you a few times and make you concerned about initiation." She sniffled

"Hey Ruby, no need for tears right now, you put up an excellent fight." Strom said soothingly and reassuring.

"B-but it was over so quickly you even were able to catch me." She rebutted.

"That may be true, but you had pushed me to my limits, and you dodged my punch." Strom said and looked at his aura reader.

"But you grabbed my cloak." She said trying to find his reasoning.

"To be honest, that was a last second decision." He reassured. "It was my only chance of defeating you with all of the circumstances I had."

"There is my wonderful sister. Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Do you want me to break him?" Yang said while giving Ruby a hug that would make an Ursa cry.

Ruby trying to gasp for air, groaned, "Yang… you're crushing me… also yes I am fine, no he didn't hurt me and no please no."

"Ruby that was an excellent fight and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Strom said reassuringly as he stood up and helped Ruby up after Yang released her from the hug.

"I couldn't agree more." Yang said while giving him a look that said 'can we talk?'

"Hey, why don't you go discuss with the others about the fight and maybe look for a tip or two?" Strom asked Ruby politely. "I think Yang wants to give me a tip about my upcoming fight."

"Alright, see you later Strom." Ruby said as she walked to her team and friends. When she was out of hearing distance Yang started her talk with Strom.

"You held back didn't you?" she said.

"Yes, I did hold back during our fight." He answered truthfully.

"Why? Was it because she isn't good enough?" she asked getting angry.

"No as a matter of fact, I thought I would have to beat her, but then I saw and felt your genuine concern for your sister. So between losing or a ring out; I chose to get the harder choice done, and that was to get her out of the ring without and harm." He said looking at her. "Ruby is definitely someone that I could have beaten in an easier way, but I just couldn't when I saw my two younger siblings when I look at her."

"So you never had any intentions of fighting her?" Yang asked, calming down from learning why he had to do what he did.

"I do not like to fight girls who I can see as a little sister." He stated with a grin.

Yang was both impressed and speechless at what he had said.

"That was weird wasn't it?" he asked.

"You think?" Yang asked in a tone that said 'someone has a problem and now just realizing'.

"Anyways time for my next match to start, so I have to get going." Strom said turning around to head back.

"I understand and Strom-" Yang rushed as he turned around. Suddenly warmth was wrapped around him. Yang was hugging him, "thanks for taking it easy with Ruby." Yang said as she released him from the embrace.

Strom turned around with a blush to his cheeks and said shyly his thank you before making his way back to the ring. Yang had made her way back with the others and sat down.

"Okay. What was that all about?" Weiss asked.

"I was just thanking him about a sibling matter that's all." She answered upbeat and ready to watch a serious match.

"What does Ruby have to do with it?" Weiss pried to get more information.

Yang whispered so that Ruby couldn't hear, "He held back for her and was trying to ring her out and comforted her after she lost. So I thanked him for being so careful with her."

"Speaking of Ruby and how she lost, did anyone else think about how she looked when she was wrapped?" Blake asked.

"Yes she looked rather…" Weiss said trying to find the word that she could use.

"Comfy?" Ruby asked joining in the conversation.

"Sure let's go with that." Weiss said quickly to move on to a different conversation. Unfortunately Yang saw this as teasing material just fell into her lap.

"What? You didn't think that she looked sexy in the moment?" Yang asked with clear intent on keeping it going and possible teasing material for her teammates.

"Okay moving on!" Weiss exclaimed very adamant on switching subjects while Ruby's face and head disappeared into her hood.

"Yang, can we not give people images to think about?" Ruby shrieked.

"Too late." Jaune admitted to his crimes as he hangs is head down in shame. Yang was now laughing from everyone's reaction.

"Oh Pyrrha and the new kid will be fighting. Break his legs Pyrrha!" Nora shouted out to her teammate.

"He is our friend Nora." Ren stated without reaction.

"Ohhh… Okay then. Break his legs and then give him pancakes! That better Ren?" Nora went on as Ren sighed in disbelief to what Nora had just said. Nora asked then proceeding to go on about pancakes, sloths, being queen of the castle, and how everything is fine. "Do you think he knows what a sloth sounds like?"

Strom and Pyrrha were already in the arena, surveying what the other had for equipment, the environment around them. Pyrrha had seen Strom fight before her very eyes but yet they were short matches. Strom has no idea what she was capable of doing. Neither combatant had a strategic advantage over the other.

"I suppose that we have to fight now." Pyrrha stated calmly and focused.

"Well… we don't have to fight. I have always been a man of peace so you could leave the arena or I could." Strom said giving options.

"True, but I think that it wouldn't help you or me in the case at hand." She said.

"Then I take it you aren't backing down." He mused and took up a stance.

"Not a chance." She said steeling herself for yet to come.

"The match will now begin." Glynda announced to everyone.

Pyrrha and Strom charge towards each other. She raised her shield to meet his fist. She swung Milό across his abdominals, but he suddenly wasn't there. Now behind her, he performs a three punch combo followed by a spinning right kick to her side pushing her away five meters. She got up and glanced that her aura was now at eighty percent, while his was at ninety percent. This was the first time in a long time that she had her aura go down so soon, and she was excited to see what would happen next. She mecha-shifted Milό into a rifle and took to one knee as she fired off four shots in his direction.

He tried to dodge them but was hit in the left shoulder and shin, taking his aura down to seventy percent. Pyrrha shifted Milό back to its sword form and started a barrage of calculated strikes and shield jabs with Akoύo. He was able to dodge a few of them; he was jabbed twice in the chest, once on his right arm, once on his left leg and bashed in the side with the shield slowly whittling his aura reserves down into the thirties.

He knew that his aura was low so he decided to end this long struggle in this battle. As he charged her, sidestepped her swing then got low slid at her legs grabbing her left ankle and pulled up hard getting her off balanced. Using momentum he jumped up and kicked Pyrrha in the middle of the back, lifting her ten feet in the air. He readied his punch and Pyrrha maneuvered herself mid air to strike him. She struck him in the chest, as he struck her in the stomach. After they traded blows, Strom was sent back seven feet while Pyrrha was sent back twenty feet. The stadium couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

"The match is over." Glynda declared. As everyone turned to see the results it was an outcome no one could expect.

"There is no winner for this match is a draw." Glynda announced. Both the fighters were at fifteen percent on the aura meter.

Pyrrha and Strom walk to the center of the arena and shake hands with one another. Both of them still breathing heavily from the match.

"That was a great match. The best I had in a very long time." Pyrrha said pleased.

"Thank you very much, you were great yourself." Strom said with a grin.

"So speed is your semblance like Ruby?" Pyrrha asked curious to find out.

"Actually no, that is a skill that I picked up last year with aura manipulation. I can go at intense speeds but it puts a strain on the user. It's best when used in short distances versus long distances." Strom informed his opponent.

"Oh then what is your semblance?" Pyrrha asked trying to see if she could get the information she desired.

"Well what is your semblance?" He returned the question with a grin.

"Wouldn't that give you an advantage?" Pyrrha returned with a smile and shook her head.

"I can say the same." Strom said and stretched a little.

"So then we are keeping secrets?" She said returning to her natural smile.

"For now yes, but there will be a time when I will reveal what I have to offer." He said in a neutral tone. "When I do I hope that you can tell me yours."

"Either way that skill you have is useful, but it is unfortunate about the downside." She stated.

"Yeah, well sometimes you have to OOF-" Strom said while Ruby jumped on to his back full force.

"Ohmygosh!StromthatwasamazingnottosaythatPyrrhawasn'tamazing,butseriouslyStromwheredidyoulearntofightlike-mmhm." Ruby would have gone on if not the fact that her mouth got covered by both Yang and Weiss. Ruby was also picked up by Yang to let Strom get up from the ground.

"Looks like you will be joining Beacon." Weiss stated and was pleased to know that she had a hand with getting him in.

"Well, we don't know that for a fact, and anything can happen. I will try my best in the next fight though." Strom humbly replied.

"You're at 15% aura, Strom just take the fall." Weiss tried to convince him.

"I know that I am low on aura but that will not stop me from going on. One can never afford to give up against Grimm or the White Fang." He said looking a little sad when he mentioned the White Fang, as if something were bothering him. Blake tensed up slightly and clenched her hands on her book.

Ozpin and Glynda watch the teens from the balcony. Impressed from what they have already seen so far.

"He is in correct?" Glynda asked since Strom did manage to beat two out of the three opponents that they had sent out. "He even managed to make it a draw with Pyrrha Nikos."

"After his fight with Yang, yes." Ozpin stated and looked at something very peculiar. "He hasn't used his semblance yet either."

"What? I thought that his aura control was his semblance." Glynda said and tried to study the teen from where they were. "Should we really continue this? He could get seriously injured from the next fight."

"I know, but the reason why I am having him continuing on is to see what he can really do because so far he has been holding back. If we add pressure to him, he would have to show what he can do." He reasoned and then pointed to his aura readings. "Also look, it's not incredibly fast but his aura reserves are slowly rising already."

"But is it going to be worth it?" She asked and Ozpin silently nodded and looked at the worried teacher with a smile. "Alright, I'll get them started."

"Let's see if it is truly you from all of those years ago Strom." Ozpin said so softly that no one could hear him.

"Would Strom and Yang be the only combatants in the arena please? Thank you." Glynda states over the intercom.

"Looks like we will have a blast, won't we?" Strom asked Yang and stretched a little.

"Heck yeah we will. Also don't take you loss so hard." She says as she flaunts her precious hair in front of everyone. The rest of team RWBY and JNPR went back to their seats.

"Well then it would appear that I may have to pull out all the stops if I want to win then." Strom replied and grinned widely. "It's not every day that I get to have this much fun."

"Pfft. I would love to see what else you have to offer." Yang said strutting to her starting position. "I'll make sure to make it quick."

"I still have many surprises you know." Strom said and took a deep breath.

"Well then I will let you have the first hit on me and that will be it, after that I will end the match. Also, no holding back!" Yang declared and pointed a finger him. "I don't want to hear how you could of won if you didn't hold back!"

"If that is what you want, then fine. I hope you don't disappoint me." He said moving into a fighting stance. "But I'll warn you now… I hit pretty hard."

"Yeah, and forget about all the other fights so far, because mine will be the one you remember the best." She boasted and made sure her gauntlets were ready.

"That's some big talk right there. You had better deliver what you say." He teased with slight agitation since she was beginning to sound overconfident.

"Then I take it that you are ready?" she asked and took into a boxer's stance.

"Let the match begin." Glynda announced.

"May you flow with the rhythm of my flames." Strom whispered as the sound of the countdown began and reached zero.

Yang walks up to the center of the arena and motion Strom to let him know she was serious about that free hit. He charged close and planted a powerful right into her abdomen. She was shocked about the force he put into that punch. She would never again let him get a chance to hit that hard again. She glanced at her aura to find it down already fifty percent while he was at twenty-five percent.

"So where is the most memorable fight you promised, Yang?" Strom said and backed off a little. "Because letting me get a hit in for free was a major mistake."

"Right now!" She answered and activated her semblance with a confident grin and red eyes trained on Strom. Her entire body engulfed in a flame of rage and power. "I hope you don't get burned too badly."

She rushed Strom with a flurry of boosted punches and hit him in his chest and arms that he used to block. Seeing as the fight should have been over she looked at the meter to find what had surprised her. He was still twenty-five percent aura.

"How are you still standing? Wait no, you took the full force of my attacks?" she screamed loudly and he wavered a little trying to keep himself from falling. "What kind of a fool are you?!"

"Yes, though I will admit that it was not my brightest idea but I think that it's time to end this all." He said strained about the blows he received. "You do pack one heck of a punch, I wasn't expecting to be done with such speed either."

"You are a brave man Strom. Probably a little bit stupid from that but brave as well." Yang responded and took up a fighting stance again. "So… round two?"

"I thought you would never ask." Strom said with confidence and matched her stance.

They rushed together at the center and their fists met together as the force was enough to make wind blow through the entire area. Some students lost their papers into the wind as the two combatants kept on exchanging blows with each other. Yang's semblance allowed her to keep growing stronger and stronger and Strom certainly felt it in his knuckles. Time seemed to slow down for the both of them as their adrenaline kicked in and heightened their senses.

Yang wanted to end this now. She wanted to wipe that smiling smirk off of his face, but yet she found herself smiling too. This was an opponent who was fighting her at her best and hasn't cut her hair. She wanted to beat him and yet she wanted this thrill of a fight to continue.

Strom was smiling because she was someone who was keeping up with him and wasn't going to go down anytime soon. Each blow that they traded just kept fueling a fire within him. Sure all of the hits hurt, but it meant that he found someone who was at least on par with him. He wanted to go all out with his semblance, but he remembered that he was indoors and couldn't.

Yang was being pushed back into a corner and she couldn't believe it. Strom was definitely weaker than her at this point but he was still faster. She could see that their aura readings were about the same. The next move had to be the finishing blow and one of them was about to lose. She decided to put everything into one punch and let her right arm fly towards Strom's face in hopes to end it. Her hope quickly went away when Strom used his technique to dodge the punch and rushed in near instantly and used his right arm and connected with her abdomen. Yang used her extended arm to grab Strom by his scarf and dragged him down with her out of the arena.

Staffing was quick to rush in and check them and they gave thumbs up signaling that the fighters were fine. Glynda and Ozpin saw the signal they both sighed in relief. Glynda looked at the screen to check both of the aura meters to find that Strom was at a one percent while Yang was completely out of aura.

"This match is another tie. Both fighters are ring outs." Glynda announced. Teams RWB(Y) and JNPR rushed over to their friends, only to find four arms four legs and a mess of blonde hair.

"Yang, Strom are you alright?" Ruby was the first to ask the question.

"I'm fine Rubes. What about you Strom?" Yang responded.

The only sound she could hear was his breathing.

"Strom!" She shouted.

"Yang, could you geh ohh uhf ee? Your ha ih eh hi houf." Strom said.

"What?" A collective response from both teams.

"Could you gh ohh uh ee? Yur ha ih en hi houh." He babbled again.

Luckily for him Weiss was able to decode his words for everyone to know.

"Yang! Your hair is in his mouth! Get up!" she shouted.

"Hank you." Strom said still not wanting to speak but had to be polite.

"Oh gross gross seriously gross." Yang said getting up quickly and was breathing heavily while she made sure there was no saliva on her hair. "Eww gross gross gross gross."

After some sputtering, Strom regained the ability to speak coherently.

"Again thank you Weiss." Strom said and took some time to breathe. "Yang… that was an awesome fight!"

"You were awesome too!" Yang responded and was happy that her hair was surprisingly dry. "I still can't believe that you managed to fend me off like that. I really hope we can do something like that again."

"Strom. If I can have you come up here for a second so that we can assign you a team that would be appreciated." Ozpin stated with a warm smile as he walked up to the arena once more, not to fight but to get a team. They would be his team for the next 4 years of his life. He was excited and ready to join Beacon.

"Welcome to Beacon Strom. You have overcame the challenges that we presented you for this initiation. You will be assigned to the team that brought you here. Team RWBY." Ozpin announced calmly. "Congratulations."

Ruby was excited for the new member of the team. Yang held her in place so she doesn't tackle Strom again. Blake just waved and Weiss stood back a little and clapped. She did not like the idea that a male was going to live in the room from now on, none the less she couldn't do anything about it.

"Now we can put you in your own separate dorm if you would like." Glynda offered.

"Thank you for the offer but I might need to think about that for a while before I can give you my answer." Strom replied respectfully.

Or could she? Weiss looked at the time noting that it was 2pm so she had time to devise a plan and hopefully convince some of her team members as well…

 **(A/N: Well, I finally worked on the first two chapters in hopes of making them better for any new readers and any old ones. I hope that you have all enjoyed and now… I will be working on a new installment. This is SirArondight… riding off!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's the third installment of** **Fighting Fury** **. I hope that you all will enjoy it and hopefully this chapter is going to be more pleasing than the last two that I put up.**

 **I took notes and I did my homework, so I present to you better work… hopefully.**

Weiss was both pleased and horrified. Pleased with the fact that she has a new teammate that looks like he is very competent and helpful. Horrified about the fact that a male was going to be sleeping with them for the next four years and she does not plan to have him living with them at all. She would protect herself and her teammates from the dreadful thought of losing their virginity. She wouldn't allow it, not at all.

They were all walking towards the dorm rooms, because Ozpin decided to let both teachers and students to have the rest of the day off after all the excitement that happened in the arena. Ruby decided that it would be a good chance to show Strom to the dorms where he would be living in, and to get to know everyone better. Both team RWBY and JNPR got together in the dorm room of RWBY with Strom tagging along.

"So Strom," Ruby started, "this is our dorm room, and before you ask about the bunk beds, yes they will hold up I am sure of it."

He looks at the structures with fear. One was being supported by a bed with stacks of books to hold up each leg, the other was dangling in the air with nothing but rope to hold it up. After a look around the room he notices that there is a desk, a closet, a poster with six men he does not recognize, a painting that shows the season of autumn, a door that he believes is the bathroom, bookshelves with a nice selection to choose from, and curtains that had one line that looked like it was hand sewn.

"So this is the dorm that I will be sleeping in for the next four years. It feels like home with my brother and sister. Different styles that just work together," he said looking back at RWBY, "and I see different styles coming to make a team, a family."

"That was something I wasn't expecting. Usually it's just 'how is this standing' and such." Yang said in surprise to his critique of the room he would be living in.

"Yes, well I wasn't expecting the room to look like this," he tells Yang as he extends his arm to show the décor of the room. "There is a taste of freedom, a touch of luxury, peaceful tranquility, and a child's dream in this room."

After receiving a collection of looks ranging from Ruby's happy face to Weiss's face of concern, they all decided that it was time to get to know Strom better. They all sat in a circle around the room and got started with questions.

"Okay to get this out of the way, I am 18." Strom said because it was bound to be asked and didn't want to waste time about age. "So who would like to ask me about anything?"

"What is your favorite pancake?" Nora blurted out getting right up in his face with a look that says 'if you answer wrong there will be consequences.'

"Well that's a question that I did not expect," Strom said in fear of his answer. "My favorite pancake is all of them?" he asked just to be sure that it was a good way to not get punished for a little question.

Nora lit up from his answer, "Oh he knows the secret of pancakes Ren, isn't that great?"

"Yes it is, Nora. My question for you is where did you learn to fight like that? I doubt that any academy would teach combat like that, or allow you to fight in that." Ren said gesturing towards some of the clothes that Strom had fought in.

"I have been training and fighting Grimm in a secluded village on an island between Vale and Vacuo for the past thirteen years," he answered sincerely. "I have been travelling towards the main city of Vale to see my family again and maybe join Beacon."

"Just how did you learn about that village? I mean you don't just find a settlement just like that, out of nowhere," Blake inquired, knowing that no one can find a village from traveling aimlessly.

"Well I was offered to join by a traveler that came from the village when I was in the hospital when I was five," he said with sad tone to his voice, "it took us five months to travel to the island by foot."

"It sounds like you didn't like what happened on the way there," Jaune saying in a comforting voice. "You don't have to share what you don't want to. We know that there are topics that you would like to keep to yourself."

"Like the fact that you are blind," Yang said as Blake smacks her on the left side. "What? Oh… I'm sorry Strom."

"Getting back on track just what did the village teach you about fighting exactly?" Weiss asked.

"They taught me how I can manipulate my aura to be more than just a shield or for aggression, just like how I fought with Pyrrha and Ruby. They also taught me how to control my feelings and semblance along with my martial arts that I know today," he answered. "I still will not be thankful enough for everything that they had taught me. Even the fact that I am blind they taught me how to see with my aura."

"That is most impressive I don't think that I have overcome that many obstacles before," Pyrrha stated. "By the way when did you discover your semblance?"

"I discovered my semblance when I was in the hospital," he said with gloom written on his face. "It wasn't a pretty sight."

"I'm sorry. I understand now why you don't want to talk about it." she said worried that she might lose a friend from a sensitive topic.

"It's fine, I just have to be able to let others know when I feel comfortable about the topic," he gives Pyrrha a reassuring look.

"Why did you want to come to Beacon?" Ruby asked. "I want to know why you wanted to become a hunter."

"Well, the first reason is because I want to put my skills to use in protection for others from Grimm," he started with a smile, which then turned into a frown as he clenched his hand tightly. "But I will never forgive the Grimm for what they have done to my dad."

"Vengeance is a dark path if taken too far." Ren warned while giving him a stern look.

"I understand that, and don't worry I won't be taking it that far with the Grimm."

"So why do you wear a red band covering your eyes all the time?" Yang asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Yang!" Blake shouted. "I thought that we have established that his blindness is not a subject to be touched on."

"It's to show what eye color I have." Strom answered. "I thought that people should know my eye color, which is red."

Blake was in shock how quickly and calmly he answered the question while Yang was grinning from ear to ear. Weiss looks at the band and imagines red eyes there instead of the piece of cloth. Ruby took a glance and then proceeded to eat a cookie. Team JNPR just looked at the band and then the time.

"Well I think that I want some team bonding time and some training before dinner," Jaune stated. "With that said see you guys at dinner."

"Okay see you later Jaune," Ruby said. "So do you want to answer a few more questions, Strom?"

"I think that I can do that." He answered.

They continued to ask and answer questions until 3:15pm. Weiss looked at the time and knew that she had to think of something to convince Strom to leave the room so she could have some time to convince the others, and fast.

"Hey, is there a training room or something of the sort?" Strom asked.

' _Or opportunity will just fall into my lap._ ' Weiss thought to herself. "Yes, if you want I can show you to it."

"That would be nice," he started. "I can't really go breaking my routine now. I have to stay in practice because in my theory I can use less of my aura when I have to get a burst of speed."

"Excellent, I will show you the way and can I ask the rest of you about something when I get back?" Weiss asked.

"Sure, what is it Weiss?" Ruby returned a question.

"Oh, Just a thought that I wanted to share with you all," Weiss stated all the while thinking _'And this is a really excellent plan that I have in mind._ '

"I am ready to go whenever you are." Strom said with his sarong in hand.

"Alright then, Let's go."

They had left together for the training room. She showed him how to work the machines and workout equipment, proceeded to leave back to her dorm. Her plan would be entailing deceiving the rest of the team in an underhand manner. When she returned to the dorm she found the rest of her team actively talking to each other about the new guy.

"So I had a thought of how we can welcome Strom into our team," Weiss said in a slightly proud voice.

"Like what? Sing his name with a boring orchestra behind us?" Yang teased knowing that it would get to her.

"As much as I would enjoy that 'Yang'," Weiss showed some agitation when she reached the name of her pun loving teammate. "I have an idea that even you would like. I propose that we do a team initiation."

"He already went through initiation Weiss." Blake said with a straight face. "Wouldn't we be pushing him too hard?"

"Ah but it will be easier, and we would 'threaten' to have him sleep in the tub if he chooses to not participate or fail 'initiation'," Weiss said still holding onto her proud voice. "So we make up a few challenges for him to complete and welcome into the team again. What do you all think?"

"Wow, I have to admit that it sounds fun and not going to put anyone to sleep," Yang admitted." I have to hand it to you Weiss, but that sounds like a good idea to me."

"I agree," Ruby jumped in on the conversation. "We will make sure that it will be both fun and ridiculous or my name isn't Ruby Rose."

Well, seeing that everyone else likes the idea, I can go along with the plan as well." Blake smiled seeing the little improvement Weiss has made in the last few days.

"Alright Team RWBY we will each come up with one challenge for our new teammate," Ruby declared. "Also, Yang, please keep it modest. No underwear dancing or anything like that."

"Well he already fights in what he wears," Yang mused. "So I doubt that there would be much of a change."

"Promise me!"

"Okay okay," Yang promised in a hurry after Ruby nearly exploded. "Ruby sometimes I forget that you scare me."

"So are we ready to start planning this 'initiation'?" Weiss said with a smile. Everyone else was nodding heads. "Good then in order we will have: Blake, after her Yang, then Ruby, and finally me."

"Wait why do you get to be last?" Yang asked. "Shouldn't it be a team based one for the last part of the initiation?"

"Well I put that into thought but we're already pushing a little bit too much with four different challenges," she reasoned. "Besides I think we would be planning too long before we could start if we had to make a team based one."

"Well I guess that makes sense." Yang said scratching her head to think of an idea for her part of the ordeal.

"Alright then we should come together at 4:30pm to share what we have." Weiss stated making sure everyone heard her.

"This is going to be so much fun." Ruby was bouncing with energy and rushed to grab a pencil and paper so she can get to work on her part.

' _While I do not like to deceive my team, I am doing this for the benefit of everyone here,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _Now I just have to make sure that this all works._ '

All the members of team RUBY were busy with something. Weiss was plotting for Strom's new dorm area to be away from their dorm. Ruby was hastily writing her plans for his initiation. Yang already knew what she was going to have him do and it would be funny to see. Blake was looking for her book Ninjas of Love but couldn't find it anywhere. Strom was currently beating training dummies left and right. When the time 4:30 came around the four came together and told what they had in plan for Strom. Yang was then sent out to retrieve him so that they could follow through with their surprise.

"So Yang, what is this about?" he asked trying to make sure that he didn't step over boundaries. "That is, if you don't mind me asking about the subject at all."

"Relax. We are going to have a fun team bonding activity together." Yang stated trying to hide the smile on her face and adding a little hop to her walking.

"Well if it is getting you happy then I should have nothing to worry about."

"Exactly, so just live and relax a little," Yang started. "No sense of getting all worried about details until the time matters."

"That's pretty wise of you to say."

"What you think that I am not wise at all?"

"I never said that, but you do portray as someone who acts first and thinks second."

"Hmm, I do get that quite a bit." She pondered. "Maybe I'll need to slow down a little before everything, but I can't guarantee that."

"Hey I say that you shouldn't stop being yourself no matter what happens."

"Thanks I appreciate that," she said with a smile. "Since we're back at the dorm room, can you do everyone here a favor and not be upset about dorm initiation?"

"Uhh. Okay." His only response came out sounding lost.

When they entered back into the dorm room, Strom was met by 3 hooded figures holding candles in front of them in the darkened dorm room. The tallest of the three stepped forward.

"If you wish to become a full member of the team you must prove yourself by completing the four tasks put in front of- Okay I know we agreed to do this but do I have to be the one to do this speech? I'm feeling embarrassed." Blake said as she took off her hood.

"I thought you were great Blake," Strom said then turning to the other hooded figures. "So what is the first challenge that you have set out for me oh great hooded trio."

"Okay he is playing into this a little too well, don't you think Weiss." Ruby admitted showing her face.

"Well I thought that the hoods were a little out of style." Weiss stated taking off the hood entirely.

"Ok but in all seriousness, what might be the first task before me?"

Blake stepped up first to tell her challenge, "Well I was thinking that your first challenge would be to go into the cafeteria and get me a fish to snack on before dinner."

"Really Blake, that's all you could think of?" Yang criticized.

"Yeah kind of easy, I know." She admitted shyly.

"Well when you're done with that I got something for you to do," Yang points at him while speaking with dramatic flair. "And if you fail to comply or complete any and all tasks before you, the punishment is to sleep in the bathroom."

"Then I must make sure that I do not fail." He answered with an equally dramatic tone as he leaves to go retrieve the fish for Blake.

"Please tell me you have something better than that, Yang." Weiss stated in disbelief of what she heard.

"Oh yes I do," Yang said with a grin. "You could even say that this will be a 'page turner' in his life."

Within 15 minutes Strom had gone over to the cafeteria, asked for a piece of salmon, and made his way back to the dorm room.

"I am back with your fish Blake." He announced. "Fresh not frozen, I made sure of that."

"Nice, it's… raw." She went from excitement to disappointment. "Why did you not get a cooked fish?"

"I thought it would be better to cook it myself."

"Oh, well I guess that can be my dinner then," Blake responded gratefully. "Thank you for getting this very nice slab of salmon."

"So the first challenge went successfully," he said with confidence. "Who has the second challenge ready?"

As soon as he sat down on the floor, a book landed in his lap.

"Read it from page 167 until you reach 184." Yang demanded. "Not out loud though."

"Ninjas of Love, Yang I didn't take you to be the romance type."

"It's not my book, its Blake's." Yang said with a mischievous grin. "Go on I'm sure that you'll enjoy it."

After he read the material given to him he just stood up and gave Blake back the book. No response was needed to say of how disgusted he was.

"That is plot full of lemons, I think that I should take some time to recover before we hear something that we don't want to. Blake I know that you call it literary art, but this art is rather too raunchy to be literary." He said while he looks like that he has seen a ghost for the first time.

"Yang, don't ever think about touching my books without my permission again," Blake said with anger shown and in her voice before it turned dark. "If you do you may find a terrible surprise. Also it is art Strom, just very 'unique' art."

"Oh come one look at his face," Yang laughs loudly. "He looks like Ruby when there are no more cookies."

"Hey that's a very serious issue," Ruby attempted to defend herself. "Anyways it is my turn. Alright Strom I need you to get ready and fast because we are having a 20 minute pillow fight and in fairness we will allow you to get a head start of 15 seconds."

"Wait, when does time start, Ruby?"

"Three seconds ago." Ruby declares as the rest of team RWBY gets equipped with fluffy ammo ready to be thrown.

"I'm not going to lie, but I always wanted to do this," Weiss admitted. "Now prepare yourself for pillow torment."

But before she finished her sentence Strom was already long gone.

"When did he leave?" Weiss asked certain that their new teammate had just been there a moment ago.

"He left after you said 'lie'." Blake responded not really going to be going all out like the others with this game.

"Let the hunting begin." Ruby said with a glint of joy in her silver eyes.

Strom had dealt with a lot in his life. He lost his eyesight when he was young. He learned how to fight Grimm and control his semblance. He had to help out with supporting the family by partaking in underground fights, all the while looking for the man who was responsible for his blindness. He remembers it like it happened yesterday still. He was at the concert performing when it happened. The white mask, the height of someone slightly older than him at the time, the red hair and two horns on his head, and most notably the weapon names that was used to destroy his sight, Wilt and Blush.

He would have kept on going remembering the past if it were not for the pillow that just rifled by his head.

"Keep daydreaming like that and you're going to be filled with feathers!" Yang shouted out loud.

'Damn, looks like getting caught up in the past will get you in trouble. I'll need to take the elder's advice to heart.' He thought to himself.

"Yes but with aim like that I doubt that a barn would be concerned." He snapped back.

Silence pursued afterwards for fifteen seconds as Yang tries to come up with a response.

"You just signed you execution by pillowing squad." She said as her eyes went red.

"Oh no! Time to run." He shouted.

"Get back here and take it like a man." Ruby shouted.

The game continued longer than what they set the time for. When they all got back it was 6pm and they were ready to eat.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse," Yang said as she crashed into her bed. "When does the cafeteria stop serving dinner?"

"I think that I want a plate of cookies," Ruby moaned. "I think it stops serving at 6."

"You are correct, and I was not expecting him to be able to run like that." Weiss panted as she tried to not fall asleep in her bed. "Wait that means that we missed dinner. Ugh, I'm sorry everyone, I didn't mean to lose track of time like that."

Weiss then thought about the day and how Strom was as a person only to realize that she was just paranoid about him. The idea of him procreating with them was all a delusion after she got to know him better. But now because of her plan to make him leave the dorm had just cost her team no dinner she felt bad. And there was nothing that she could…

"What is that smell?" she asked.

"Strom said that he would cook dinner tonight." Blake said without any signs of fatigue. "He announced that while you all were complaining about your hunger."

"Oh, well that's really thoughtful of him. What is he making?" Ruby asked. "I hope that it's cookies."

"Eat too many cookies Ruby and you'll become one. Just like how Nora will become a pancake." Strom teased while walking into the dorm 5 bowls of rice and a platter covered up. "Anyways I got rice and steak for you all. Oh and I also cooked up the salmon on a plank for anyone if the steak isn't enough."

"Oh wow this looks really good Strom," Yang praised. "How do you recommend eating the steak?"

"Well I have them all set up to be very tender to be cut with ease, so what I do is slice up the steak and place them in with the rice and dress it with my homemade sauce." He informed everyone. "The sauce consists of red wine, soy sauce, a little potato starch, steak juice, and butter."

"Wow and where did you learn to cook at?" Weiss asked out of curiosity. "I wouldn't have imagined that someone blind could cook."

"Well my mom has been working in a restaurant for as long as I have been alive and my dad has been cooking for the family since he came home from the hospital." Strom replied while looking back on his past. "Even though I was away from home for most of my life in the village, I have still been practicing for years even through my blindness."

"That's very impressive to be able to do," Blake said with a smile from her salmon and steak tasting heavenly. "It's also absolutely inspiring for anyone becoming a chef or a hunter, or anything in that matter."

"Thank You, I'm certain that my dad would agree as well." He replied.

After eating their meal it was getting late for it was now 7:30pm. Weiss was concerned about living arrangements for Strom.

'Oh no, I wasn't expecting to have him still live with us. I did want him to be separate from the rest but now…' she continued to think before she came to a conclusion.

"Everyone, I have a confession to make." Weiss announced to the rest of her teammates.

"*Gasp* you are coming out of the closet now?" Yang teased as she was acting overly dramatic. "I should have known that you had feelings for us. I'm sorry but I cannot accept your feeling for me."

"That isn't what I wanted to say!" Weiss shouted turning very red like a certain reaper's cloak. "But I may have wanted a different outcome from the 'initiation' when I suggested the idea."

"What you wanted me to fail the initiation?" Strom joked a little but Weiss's silence answered his question as his smile wavered. "Wait, You really wanted me to fail and either leave the dorm or sleep in the bathroom?"

"Yes, at one point I did, but then I got to know you and we had a little fun and then we got to eat and-" she continued before being interrupted.

"Why did you not want him to live with us? He's a great guy to hang around with and actually is better to be around then most of the guys I have met in the past." Yang started to shout out very upset with her teammate.

"I was being paranoid and scared about us with him living here."

"Why is it because he is a guy and you wanted to protect your 'maidenhood' from men?" Yang was grilling Weiss now.

"Yang calm down she was trying to look out for the team." Ruby said trying to ease her sister before anything else got out of hand.

"Well you have changed your mind since then, haven't you Weiss?" Blake asked with a look that screams 'you better not lie to anyone.'

"Yes, having Strom live with us would be very nice. However, he doesn't have a bed to use." Weiss looked that she was about to lose her friends' trust. "I would be more than willing to switch places with him."

"Thank you, Weiss I really appreciate the offer," Strom says as he grabs his waterproof pillow. "But you won't need to sleep in the tub because I want to."

"Why? I have treated you so unfairly without giving you a chance," Weiss said in a sad voice. "I should be the one in there not you."

"I get dry very easily," he told them the truth. "I need to constantly have a bottle of water every hour to keep myself hydrated. So it works out for me."

"Why do you need so much water a day?" Ruby asked. "Do you have a condition or something?"

"Yes, and it's fairly odd, but what the doctor said is that I am too tall and too skinny to go dehydrated." He lied about being too skinny for his height. "So I just sleep in water while using this pillow to keep my head above water while I sleep."

"That is very dangerous. Why risk your life like that?" Yang moved closer to Strom to hear his answer. "Wouldn't waking up and getting a glass of water be the same thing?"

"The reason I do that is because I could stand up to fast and pass out," He said not ready to tell them the real reason. "And with my height I have a good chance at cracking open my skull. So please just allow me to sleep in the tub for now. At least until we come up with a better solution to this problem."

Yang decided that she was happy with that promise for the future but decided to add a precaution to it, "Alright but you keep the water low about one inch."

"Ok I can live with that." He said knowing that he can add more throughout the night.

"Alright, then I guess we are all settled then?" Ruby asked to make certain that no one else had issues. "If so, I would like to get some cookies and milk to relieve my stress."

"I am set if you all are," Strom said relieved that the arguing was over. "I might head out to just walk a bit before bed."

"But are you really alright with this? Even how poorly I treated you?" Weiss asked. "I would not be so easily forgiving if I was on the receiving end."

"Yes, I am fine with it," he states in a calm voice. "And look, if I ever have a problem I will let all of you."

"Sounds good," Blake said simply then proceeded to grab her books. "I'm going to the library before I go to sleep."

"Yeah, to read your 'literary art'," Yang teased Blake who was rushing out the door with an embarrassed look on her face. "Well I'll say that I had lots of fun tonight so I'm turning in for the night."

"Okay then, goodnight Yang." Ruby stated as she started to go into the bathroom. "Weiss, would you mind if I take my shower first?"

"No, but I will be in after you, so try to make it sensible."

"Alright, I will make sure to keep it quick then."

"I'm going on that walk now," Strom said taking his shirt with him.

"Where do you plan to walk to? If you need help I would be more than happy to give directions." Weiss offered still feeling awful from her attempt to get rid of her new teammate.

"Well, to be honest I don't think I want to know where I will go," He started with a calm and soothing voice. "But I would rather see where the walk takes me tonight."

"That sounds nice," the heiress said. "Maybe I will have to do that one of these nights when I don't have homework to do."

"I would recommend it," he said with tranquility in his voice. "It's always nice and relaxing at this time if the weather is just right."

"I will take that into consideration," she said smiling about the idea. "Well unfortunately, my studies will not get done on their own. So see you later, have a nice walk."

"I will. Good luck on your studies." He said as he left the room for his walk.

Strom just walked without any idea of where he wanted to go, wandering around the school aimlessly, learning where certain rooms are and such. Heading outside he sensed the statue from the entrance area. He started to reflect on the day and all of the trials that it had for him.

' _This was certainly a day to remember. The combat that I had to do with everyone was simple, I couldn't really try until I got to Pyrrha, and even then I was still holding back my semblance to ensure no injuries are made.'_ He would have continued on thinking until he heard footsteps behind him.

"Good evening Strom," Ozpin stated while he had his cane in his hand. "It is a beautiful night out right now."

"Good evening headmaster," Strom said as he stood a little bit straighter than previously. "To what do I owe this unexpectant surprise tonight?"

"I just thought that tonight is a lovely evening to head out the office and be on my feet for a change," Ozpin smiled with his statement. "And what are you doing out here? Don't you have classes tomorrow?"

"I do, but there is no sense in getting all worried about what is yet to come," Strom says thinking about tomorrow. "Besides, you said so yourself, it is a beautiful night out."

"Indeed it is."

"But I do know when to take a hint." Strom said breaking the few moments of silence.

"Oh, and what is that hint if I may ask." Ozpin said out of knowing what the response was going to be.

"That I have had a long day and should get some rest for tomorrow," Strom yawned to prove the headmasters subtle hint. "And I think that is my queue to get some rest."

"Then I wish you a good night's sleep Strom."

"Thanks, I hope the same for you as well."

After Strom left to go get some sleep, Ozpin decided to walk around some more before getting sleep as well. During the walk he thought about what happened at initiation today.

' _You are an interesting individual Strom, but you can't always hold back against everyone. One of these days how you hold back might come to cost you dearly.'_

Ozpin decided that it was time to head back and proceeds to head back into the building and go to his office.

Strom was quiet when he entered the dorm knowing that Yang would be asleep, and found that everyone else saw sleeping too. Smiling at his new team and friends he moves into the bathroom and puts on his pajamas, which happens to be a swimsuit. He quietly filled the tub with water and went to sleep for the night hoping that no one would wake up during the night.

Blake was awake, reading in the dark until she heard footsteps coming to the dorm room. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing to fake her sleep. The bathroom door had opened and closed shut.

' _Hmm, it looks like Strom is back from his walk. Now it sounds like he's changing,'_ She thought to herself. _'There's not much left to the imagination to imagine how he looks due to the fact that he wears that thing around his waist. His scarf is on the doorknob. I haven't seen him without it. The same can be said for his eyes, although I'm not going to be the one that pesters him about his eyes. That would probably be Yang, Ruby, or Nora.'_

About 30 minutes have passed and she still hears him filling up the tub.

' _Okay I know he needs water but that sounds a lot more than an inch. How much is he putting in there?'_

An hour has passed since the filling of the tub. Blake had got up to get a drink of water, and to check and see why Strom needed so much water.

' _Ok time to see how he is set up to not drown. He probably has the tub filled very full.'_ She thought as she peeks around the curtain, only to see him completely submerged underwater. Blake panicked and was about to pull him out, when she heard and saw bubbles come out from his mouth. Then she looked down his neck to find his 'reason' for need water.

' _Gills, he has gills. He has 6 gills on his neck. Well, I'm relieved that he isn't dead. I am also happy that I'm not the only Faunus on the team. But now I see why he hides that he is a Faunus as well.'_

She takes in a deep breath and releases air along with her worries, got her glass of water, and went back to bed, smiling knowing that she has someone that she can trust and not be racist. Soon after sleep takes a hold of her and rests for the day to come.

 **(Author's Note:**

 **There we go chapter 3, or chapter 2.5? I don't know but all I know is that this chapter was also going to include Jaundice. But after starting to type all of this I figured that I might as well split them apart and not have a 50k word chapter.**

 **So how many of you thought he was a Faunus?**

 **And how many of you thought he was a very special Faunus?**

 **If you like what you have read or have any questions don't be afraid to leave a review.**

 **If there is something wrong with the story I can't fix it if I don't know what it is.**

 **I also would like to let you guys know that work is going to be a little rough with me this week. But by no means, that work will give me an excuse to not write damn it. So if chapter 4 seems a little rushed or short, that is why.**

 **Thanks and I hope to see you all in the next installment.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**(Author note: I started writing this before my week of work so hopefully I can get it done before it starts.)**

 **RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**

Chapter 4: Learning Pain

It's been a week since Strom has joined Beacon. He had since then gotten use to his classes and got to know more about his team and friends in JNPR. Right now he was with his team in the stands watching Jaune face off with Cardin again.

"Hey, I'm not trying to sound like a pessimist or don't mean anything mean, but Jaune kind of sucks when it comes to fighting," Strom states while receiving glares from everyone except Weiss. "But then, he could just be having a bad streak or something. Eh hehehe."

"Maybe this time it will be different," Ruby says with hope. "I think the glory of battle will be… Cardin's again."

Cardin had defeated Jaune again. Glynda scolded Jaune for his fighting style being reckless again. Jaune once again felt pathetic for not even getting a strike on his opponent. He looks over towards his friends in shame for his loss.

"It's alright Jaune, no one can win them all," Pyrrha said trying to comfort her leader to the best of her ability. "Even I had my fair share of losses before I started into the tournaments."

"You went into tournaments?" Strom had to ask about it. "How many did you enter?"

"She has been Mistral regional champion four times in a row," Weiss answered for Pyrrha. "A new record I might add."

"Okay, thanks for answering me 'Pyrrha'," Strom said with added agitation. "I'll make sure to ask 'Weiss' when I want to know more about her family's company."

"Oh, my bad," Weiss moving a little away from him, while Pyrrha was trying not giggle out loud. "I'll just check up on our schedules."

"I thought I would never see the day that the heiress has to run away," Yang said trying to make a joke out of the situation. "You could say that she was 'Weisser' than a ghost. EHHH? EHHHHH?"

"Yang that was your worst pun yet, do you honestly think that someone would-" Blake started and would have continued if Strom hadn't snickered and laughed silently, she finished her statement sounding defeated. "Laugh at your puns."

"Yes, finally someone gets it," Yang was happy that someone had laughed at her pun. "Watch out because it's always calm before the 'Strom'."

While everyone else groaned at the horrible pun made, Strom was losing it completely. He was laughing hard enough to have Goodwitch look at the group very sternly, enough to say 'who wants an extra assignment'.

"Okay, I'll stop the puns for now because I don't want more work," Yang said quickly and started to shove Strom outside the room to ensure no more laughter to be heard. "Wow look at the time, its lunchtime so let's get going before we miss it."

Both of the teams now seated with their lunches on the table we're discussing about classes and listening to Nora's story about making a boatload of lien from skinned rugs. Pyrrha and Ruby both looked towards Jaune who seemed distressed about something.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked gaining her blonde leader's attention.

"Huh, yes I'm okay," he said in a nervous voice. "Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"It just seems that you're not okay." Ruby added in to this conversation while Weiss was just filing her nails.

"Guys I'm fine. See?" He tried to put up a front to show that he was fine but no one was buying it.

"Jaune, I'm blind and I can see that there's a problem between you and Cardin." Strom said in a very serious tone. "You know we can help you if you want."

"Cardin has been picking on you for weeks now." Pyrrha said in a voice that was close to angry. "I agree with Strom, we can and will help you if you ask."

"He's just playing around, you know little pranks." Jaune said in a defensive tone.

"He's a bully." Ruby said scowling and upset.

"Oh, then name one time he's 'bullied' me." Jaune challenged everyone foolishly.

"Really Jaune the tough guy act, I can name three different times he's bullied you." Strom said in disbelief. "One of the times, He pushed you in one of the lockers and sent you away!"

"I didn't land 'that' far away from the school." Jaune tried to reason with his friends as he turns to find Cardin and his team bullying a Bunny Faunus girl.

"Oww, stop it!" she pleaded as her ears were being pulled by Cardin.

"See, I told you that they were real," he said with overconfidence gushing out from him. "What a freak."

"Such behavior is atrocious; I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha said sternly.

"You're not the only one." Blake and Strom said at the same time, Blake was finished but Strom had more to say. "It's like I'm at the fights again. No one cares for another."

"It must be hard to be a Faunus." Yang said with a sad tone.

Both of the teams were now in Doctor Oobleck's classroom for history. The doctor was zipping around the room as if he had too much caffeine. Strom was more focused and worried about Jaune. It was then that Jaune was hit in the back of the head with paper thrown by Cardin.

"Hey," Jaune stated about to go off on someone before being cut off by the green blur that was the teacher.

"Ah, Mr. Arc, finally contributing to class excellent, what is your answer?" Dr. Oobleck asked and got up close to who he was talking to.

"The answer to the advantage that the Faunus had was-," Jaune lengthened his words to try and decipher what Pyrrha was signaling him. "-Binoculars!"

"Very funny Mr. Arc, Cardin do you have any reason as to why the Faunus had an advantage?"

"Well, I know it's easier to train an animal than a soldier." He remarked while the good Doctor shook his head.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals are you Cardin?" Pyrrha stated bluntly.

"What, you have a problem?"

"No, I have the answer, its night vision."

"The general was inexperienced and unprepared. If he did his studying maybe he wouldn't be remembered as a failure." Blake added.

Strom tried to remember more about what happened but he just felt tired about the day. He was about to head to bed when he saw Pyrrha pulling Jaune up the stairs to the balcony of the school.

' _Hmm either Pyrrha is making her move now, or she is going to offer Jaune help. Either way I want to see what happens. Sleep, you may be nice to get, but there are some things that you have to see for yourself.'_

He heads up the stairs to hear the climax of the argument Jaune and Pyrrha were having.

"I don't want to be the damsel in distress; I want to be the hero," Jaune shouting loud into the night.

' _Awe crap, am I going to step in now or let things play through?'_ Strom thought as the fight continued.

"Jaune I-" Pyrrha tried to reason with her leader before he interrupted her again.

"I am tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives!" Jaune said starting to break down. "Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own then what good am I?"

Pyrrha tried to reach out to Jaune but he stepped back. She was shocked by his reaction towards her trying to help, so she stepped back as well.

"Just leave me alone," he said indicating that he was done. "Okay?"

"If that is what you think is best." She says turning around sadly and walks toward the stairwell.

' _Ok time to make my plan. Step 1 let Pyrrha go downstairs, step 2 knock some sense into Jaune and step 3- Oh no… Not Cardin_.' Strom thought as Pyrrha went by him without even knowing that he was there the entire time. He then turns to see Cardin leave talking about 'being a rebel', 'a talk with Goodwitch', and 'being friends for a long time'.

"Don't worry Jaune; your secrets safe with me." Cardin said entering his dorm room from the window.

"Well I guess it's now or never," Strom whispers to himself as he goes up on the balcony. "You have to strike the iron while it's hot."

"Oh hey Strom," Jaune said trying to make sure that nothing is wrong. "Nice night out tonight right?"

"Very lovely night indeed," Strom agreed before dropping the bomb. "So do you have anything to say about what happened here?"

"What? No there isn't a problem anywhere with me," Jaune tried to put up a front before seeing that it was not working with fooling Strom. "Not buying that, right."

"Yeah, I was about to say that I have been here since the 'Damsel in distress' part," Strom said as he walked up closer to Jaune but not getting too close. "Would you know how I got to this point after I lost my sight, Jaune?"

"Not really but I guess that you are going to tell me that you had 'help from others' and 'teamwork is vital'," Jaune snapped tired of hearing the idea that he needs help. "Well I'm sorry that you lost your sight when you were young but look at you now."

"I wasn't going to say that," Strom said darkly, and the air felt cold around Jaune from hearing him speak. "The village taught me how to manipulate my aura for other uses, including sight, but I wanted to let you know that I lost a close friend once because they wouldn't accept help from anyone."

"Oh," Jaune said realizing that he spoke too soon. "I'm sorry to hear that, I think that I owe it to you to listen to his story now."

"Thanks, I was going to drill it into your head anyway," Strom replied in a better tone but still just as serious as he told the tale. "You may want to sit down, because this story is quite long."

[7 Years ago]

[Location: Unknown]

Strom and his friend were hunting Grimm in the woods around the village to keep it safe for the time until they got to switch with the next team. They were talking to each other about the future.

"So what are you going to do when your training is complete, Azure?" a younger Strom asked while on the lookout for anything. "I know that I plan on becoming a Hunter and to see my family again."

Azure, Strom's best friend during the time he had spent in the village since day one of his arrival. She was twelve and starting to develop a little into a more mature body. She had long, blue wavy hair, calming blue eyes to go with the set. She wore bandages around her hands and feet, a loose fitting, tan Capri's that she held up with a black belt, and a green kung fu shirt. She had her weapon at her side, a green sheathed katana with a blue hilt.

"I haven't put a lot of thought into it, Strom," She answered starting to give the idea some thought. "But you seem to be interested in becoming a Hunter of Grimm. Can I ask why?"

"Well it might have to be the fact that I'm still sore that my dad lost his leg from one," he answered with guilt in his voice.

"Strom, you know what the elders have told us time and time again," she said sounding like a mother scolding a child. "We cannot lose ourselves to the ways of revenge and violence."

"I know and understand," he said with a little attitude to his tone. "I'm not a little kid anymore, remember."

"While we have grown up and learned a lot from the people here, we don't know everything," she continued to sound like she was scolding him. "I hope that you get out of this phase soon."

"What are you talking about?" He asked out of frustration and confusion. "You are not making any sense. Do you honestly think yourself as an adult now?"

"No but I am far closer to it than you are." She answered in a teasing tone along with a grin to match.

"Well then, I guess that I would have to get wiser than you sooner," He replied challenging her. "I will become stronger than you before you can say..." he wavered off trying to think of a word to say.

"Before you can say what, Strom?" A new voice came from behind him smiling at the two young ones.

"Elder Trent!" both of the children said in excitement, always happy to see their elders.

"What brings you out here to check on us?" Strom asked excitedly. "Do you have a new lesson for us?"

"I do indeed have a lesson for the both of you today," the man answered happy with the excitement that they have. "Please follow me to the dojo."

They all walked together to the dojo, usually the dojo is bright and active from everyone there, but now it is dark and empty today.

"Elder Trent, why is there no one in the dojo today?" Azure asks sadly because of how the dojo looks. "It's like no one has been here for years."

"It does and it does look sad," the elder admitted with a tone of sadness to his voice. "But worry not; this was necessary for today's lesson."

"And what is this lesson we are about to learn?" Strom asked trying to see if he can get an advantage.

"You will find out at the end, Strom," the elder said knowing the boy's intentions. "But we will have the both of you prepared for this lesson. Azure please put on this blindfold, and Strom I will cut off you aura for the time being."

"W-why do we need to cut off my aura Elder Trent?" Strom asked in fear of losing his sight for good. "Have I done something wrong to deserve this?"

"No my student, you haven't done anything wrong to deserve this," the elder comforted the boy who looked like he was about to break down in tears. "I just need to lock it off for how long it will take you to complete today's lesson. Worry not; Azure will be as blind as you will be."

"Alright then," Strom said starting to sound determined. "Let's get started with this lesson. What is it that we will be doing today?"

"Always in a rush aren't you?" Azure teased a little. "Anyways, I am ready for this lesson as well."

"Good now when you both are blind you must find the end of the rope," the elder said plainly. "You may ask for help whenever you want."

"Um, that's our lesson? Finding the end of the rope?" Azure asked making sure her ears were not hearing something else. "What will 'finding the end of this rope' teach us?"

"This lesson is meant to be discovered on your own," the elder states sagely as he turns to Strom. "Alright Strom, I'm going to lock off your aura and guide you to a rope. Are you ready?"

"Yes I am." Strom said with certainty.

"Azure, are you ready for this lesson?" the elder asks his other pupil.

"Yes let's get it going now." She answered a little impatiently.

The elder led them towards a rope and let them feel the rope to get started. They both went in separate directions and started their lesson. The elder decided to give them both a reminder.

"Remember, if you need help, just ask."

"Okay I'll remember that." Strom said wanting to give the ropes a try before asking for help. Azure on the other hand had other plans.

' _I plan on getting this done myself. I don't need help for something this simple of a task,'_ she thought to herself. _'I am strong, and the strong do not need help. I need to be strong for him; I need to be strong for Strom'_

The two students kept at it for about ten minutes in silence trying to find the end. Then Strom decided that he had gotten a good try before he spoke.

"I need help to find the end." Strom said loudly to make sure he was heard.

"I'm here Strom. Are you asking for help?" The elder asked trying to make sure that Strom didn't change his mind.

"Yes, I am asking for help," Strom said in a slightly defeated voice. "Can you help me find the end of the rope?"

"Alright, first I need you to let go of the rope," Elder Trent now whispered into the boy's ear. "Now I'm going to unlock your aura again, but you can't help our Azure until she asks for help. Okay?"

"I understand Elder Trent, thank you." Strom replied softly. "What was the lesson about, because I didn't learn anything from the ropes?"

"The lesson is that you can't be afraid to ask for help, nor be too stubborn to ask for help as well," the elder said while unlocking his student's aura. "You can be strong on your own, but eventually there will be something that you can't handle on your own."

"I will do my best to remember that," Strom promises and looks at the ropes now. "Wow there is so many ropes going in every direction. Where is the end through all of that?"

"There is no end Strom," the elder answers quietly to make sure that Azure couldn't hear them talk. "The ropes are all connected to each other and will always go on."

"So, we could be stuck there forever?" Strom asks out of wonder. "Wow there's so many ropes in here. How many are there?"

"Ah well, I may have lost track of how many were used for this," Elder Trent laughs a little. "I guess that show how old I must be getting."

"You're not that old yet," Strom said out of concern. "Who would train us then?"

"Oh Strom, you know by now that you can ask anyone and everyone here to help you in your training here," the elder says happily. "Besides, I don't plan to give up soon."

"Ok, do you promise me that?" Strom makes sure that he is very serious looking.

"Yes, I promise that I will not give up anytime soon." The elder promised as he smiled.

"Okay, than I'm going to go train outside for now," Strom said as he left the dojo, remembered something, and rushed back in. "Oh and can you let me know when Azure is done?"

"I will let you know," he promised. "Now go outside and enjoy the sun."

"Thank you." Strom said as he ran outside again to train.

The elder continued to watch Azure try and find the end without any luck. Ten minutes has gone and she is still going on trying to find the end.

' _Where is this stupid end of the rope? I will find it.'_ she thought to herself getting frustrated at this point.

"Azure would you like some help?" The elder asked kindly. "It would be no problem to me to help you."

"No, but thank you for offering." She answered and thought to herself. _'No, I cannot be showing weakness and asking for help. Strom is trying to get stronger, so he didn't ask for help right?'_

"Did Strom find the end yet?" she asked the elder.

"Yes, he did find the end of the rope when he asked for help." He answered.

' _No Strom, this isn't what we're training for. We need to be independent, all on our own. We can't be given help every time we ask for it, the world isn't as nice as you are Strom'_ she thought to herself as she continued to try and find the end.

Another twenty minutes go by as she continues to look for the end stubbornly. The elder is starting to look worried that she might continue on with the lesson and not learn anything. He started to take down ropes to limit her from going on for too long.

"Azure, how are you doing right now?" Elder Trent asks out of concern.

"I'm fine," she shouted, frustrated about the fact that she has been searching blindly for forty minutes now. "I will find it without help."

The elder sighs as he continues to bring down more rope from the room to make it easier for her to figure out.

' _Please Azure; don't be so stubborn to ask for help. I hope that you learn from this lesson greatly.'_

Strom came back into the dojo to see a handful of ropes still up around the dojo and Azure frustrated to the point where her face is red. The elder was getting more rope down from the dojo to clean it up.

"Elder Trent would you like me to help?" Strom asked wanting to help anyone he can. "I can run the rope back to where you got it."

"Oh, Strom, yes I would greatly appreciate the help." The elder said a little loudly so he could give a hint to Azure. "These ropes are going back to the storage room."

"Ok I'll be back then." The boy said as he took an armful of ropes and went to put them away.

"Azure," the elder started because enough time has went by to teach the lesson. "Azure, please take off the blindfold and let go of the rope."

"Not until I find the end Elder Trent," she said with angry determination. "Strom needed help to find the end, but I will get there on my own."

Strom came back for another load as Azure went off on the elder, which made him upset with her.

"Respect Elder Trent, Azure," Strom went off. "His lesson for today is very wise and helpful to learn."

"What was the point of this lesson, Strom," she shouted in anger. "To learn that giving up is fine, and that you should expect someone there to wait on you, ready for anything?"

"No, it's that asking for help is fine," the shouting continued. "We can't always do things on our own and sometimes we need a hand to help guide us, or give us that push we need."

"Well, 'you' may need help or get that 'push' you talk about," Azure said void of emotions and coldly. "But I don't need help. And when the time calls that you try to call for help and no one is there to assist, just remember that I told you that you can't rely on anyone else but yourself."

"Azure, that's enough." Elder Trent shouted as he decided that what she said to him was too far. "Apologize to Strom; he was only trying to help you understand the lesson."

"I-I-I," She stuttered with anger, wondering why she was being scolded for her beliefs. She did the one thing that came to her mind _'Run'_. She turned and ran out the dojo and into the forest. Strom tried to chase after her but was stopped by Elder Trent.

"We should let her cool down as well as ourselves. We wouldn't want to harm each other now, would we?"

"I suppose that you're right," Strom said saddened quickly replaced by worry. "But I will go out in thirty minutes, so I can look for her before it gets dark."

"I understand," the elder agreed. "Actually make it fifteen, it is close to dark."

Strom was running as fast as he could to try and search the forest for his friend, calling her name as loud as he could. He was not going to give up searching for her, not even if he collapses.

' _Why are you so stubborn about this, Azure?'_ Strom thought to himself. _'I can't understand why you don't want to accept help, but that doesn't mean that anyone is giving up on you. We need to work together in order to become stronger like you want. Sure, someone can train on their own for all their life, but someone who took time to learn from others can master their art in a shorter time.'_

Two minutes of searching for his friend, he heard something growl. It was Grimm, Beowolves to be precise. They were in a pack of fourteen. Two Alphas, eight newborns, and four that shown more age and bone to them. They all had surrounded the lone Azure with her weapon, Ocean's Curse.

Azure had unsheathed her weapon and took to her stance, and challenged the Grimm.

"Come at me," she shouted out proud. "I will take you all on myself."

"Azure, I am here to he-" Strom started.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT I NEED HELP, STROM," she roared, cutting him off from saying anything else. "This is 'MY' fight alone. I don't need help," She shouted as she sliced through four newborn Beowolves.

"But it would be faster if-" Strom tried to reason, but she slashed at him, causing him to back off.

"I'll tell you this once more," she shouted as she killed a Beowolf with each cut. "I. Do. Not. Need. Your. Help. At. All."

She was down to two alpha Beowolves, one was in front of her the other behind her. These Grimm have seen more combat than the others did, so they didn't just charge in. They could taste her anger, her frustration, and her hatred. It was intoxicating for the others to just charge in and get cut up like they were. The Alphas made their move to close in for their prey.

Azure began her fight with the last two Beowolves; she tried to cut off their arms to prevent any harm to come to her or Strom, but they both were able to resist the slash against the bones of their arms. The Grimm retaliated with a swipe to her small body; she tried to dodge but received a nice cut of her aura gone. Angry about getting hit, she charged in blindly for the Grimm trying to cut off the legs now, but they both dodged her onslaught of slashes and swipes while managing to get in their own on her legs, arms, body, and face.

Strom looked in horror what his friend looked like now; she was bleeding all over the place and looked like she was put through a blender. He couldn't sense any amount of her aura and knew that she would die if it continued on. When he tried to step in to start fighting as well, she slashed at him again.

"I told you… I… don't need… help." She managed to say before turning back towards the Alpha Grimm.

"But you will die if I don't help you." He cried out, hoping that one of the elders would be near to come and help them.

"Strom, I will not die here," She declared as she activated her semblance. "Now it's time to finish this!"

Her semblance allowed her to extend energy out from her or her weapon able to cut through anything easily. As she charged for the Grimm again, she managed to cut off one arm then the legs followed by a decapitation. She felt great about how this would end out, unfortunately tragedy struck.

 _ **SHRK!**_

Strom looked in horror as the Alpha still standing made a thrust for Azure's back and punctured its claw through her back and out her stomach, then pulling it out along with pumps of blood. Watching her fall struck something in his nerves. Anger, swelling within him now as he saw her fall to the ground with the Alpha standing above her about to kill her, he charged in a blink of an eye. The Alpha started to bring down his claws on the fallen student; however Strom had a different plan in mind.

 _ **CRACK! THUD! CRACK SNAP!**_

The Alpha blinked trying to process what happened to it. The arm was broken in half, the bone plate on its chest caved in five inches, and both of the legs were broken and pointed in different directions. Strom stood over Azure, picked her up and placed her down near a tree and propped her legs up on the tree. He then dressed her wounds, using his shirt he was wearing at the time.

"I'll end this now," Strom said comforting Azure while turning back to the injured Alpha. "Just one second, please stay with me Azure."

The crippled Grimm was using its one good arm to try and claw its escape away from the martial artist only to find that he was walking towards the downed Grimm. When he got close enough the alpha tried to make a last attempt to bring harm to the boy, swiping its arm and claws to try and to connect with his neck. It released a final snarl before Strom decided that he was taking too long and finished the beast off.

 _ **SNAP!**_

Strom walked back to his injured friend and checked her vitals. After he checked he broke down into tears, Azure had passed away on that fateful night. He carried her body back to the village piggyback style, and told the elders what happened. They buried her in the graveyard carved a stone with her name on it, Azure Fall.

[Present Time]

[Location Beacon]

"Wow, I'm sorry for your friend Strom. It must have been hard for you to keep going on after her passing," Jaune said saddened about the story.

"Well, I miss her still. However I can't go back to what happened and change history. Now, I am going to start to lose my patience with you Jaune if you don't get it together," Strom said looking at the blonde with a serious expression. "What are you going to do to fix the situation?"

"I don't know I'm trying to think of what can be done right now," Jaune answered quickly. "Can- can I ask for you help or thoughts about this Strom?"

"Well I'm glad that my story is getting you to wake up and look around," Strom said agitated that it took a story to get him in gear. "But you said that you wanted to do this on your own. You pushed away your teammates from them helping you, so you get to suffer the consequences for your actions."

"But then what was the point of the story then?" Jaune asked. "Why tell me a story where the moral is that you should ask for help if you need or want it, and then deny someone who is asking for help?"

"Because you're asking the wrong person Jaune," Strom said calmly trying to ease the situation. "Jaune, why did you want to become a hunter?"

"Because I want to be a hero, I don't want to be someone who can't help or be dragging everyone else behind." He said with passion in his voice.

"Okay so you want to be a hero, and yet you don't ask for help or turn it away when offered." Strom was slowly piecing the reasons why Jaune denied the help. "And who was the one to offer help for you Jaune?"

"Pyrrha, and why are you asking me, weren't you here for everything that happened here," Jaune stated annoyed as he listed off the events. "The fight, Cardin, the fake transcripts; you know what happened here."

"Then you know who to apologize and ask for help then, don't you?" Strom answered calmly while standing up to go back to his dorm. "Anyways I'm heading to my dorm and remember this Jaune; I will help you with anything, but try to ask help from those closest to you first."

"I-I see." Jaune said in fear of what his team would have to say to him. "Do you think that they would help me, even though I pushed them away?"

"Well, technically you pushed Pyrrha away but that's not an answer," Strom says then starts to laugh like it was obvious. "Jaune if you think that your team will not help you, you will have another thing coming."

After he saw Jaune smile a little he decided to tease the poor swordsman, "Then again, I think that Nora might break your legs, Pyrrha can cut you apart, and I don't even know what Ren can do, so good luck."

"What?" Jaune said as he looked like the world will end for him when he walks into his dorm room.

"I'm kidding, sorry but you have to lighten up, don't be too stubborn for help, especially when someone like her offers it."

"What does that mean?" Jaune asked confused to why Strom was referring to Pyrrha.

"Sorry Jaune, but I do not help out with subjects that I do not have experience in," Strom said as he was walking to the door down from the balcony. "What I mean is that will be on you to figure out."

Strom decided to leave and go for a long walk before going to bed giving Jaune time to reflect of what he had just gotten for help. After a while he reached the door to find the female population of his team studying. Ruby was writing about leadership and team moves and strategies, Weiss and Blake were reading history. Yang was taking notes from a video about combat and workout sessions.

"Hello, is there anyone here?" Strom said sarcastically. "How is everyone doing right now?"

"I'm great, just got done talking with Jaune and now I am thinking of ways we can add your fighting style to the team moves and come up with names for them," Ruby answered quickly. "Do you think you can start looking into Grimm, Strom?"

"Well I was planning on getting sleep but I can read and study with the team," Strom said happily while grabbing two books that Prof. Port assigned for the semester. "So anyone have questions about any grimm or something like that?"

"No I am fine about grimm but thanks for asking." Weiss said pleased that everyone can take work seriously.

"I have a question about the Creeps when you get a chance Strom," Ruby was the one who replied. "Do they burrow under the ground to hide or attack sometimes?"

"Let me check that," Strom said as he flipped through the pages to find what he needed. "Yes, the Creeps to burrow sometimes to attack, but not to hide. I wouldn't think that they would be smart enough to hide when they can perform a sneak attack. It recommends that if it does get a chance to burrow to be on high alert."

"Ok, thanks Strom." Ruby said getting back to her work.

"Hey I have a question for you Strom," Yang alerted him about her incoming question. "How does the world look like from your perspective, to be more specific how detailed can you see?"

"Well I can see everything fine to an extent, however when it comes to people I can sense emotions from them but I would have to focus to see faces, to see their clothes in detail. Now before Weiss screeches our ears out, No I do not see you without clothes, but I see you all as silhouettes of what you wear and of your aura color," Strom rushed to get his answer out before Weiss could react. "So I see the world just fine, just people are difficult for me to see because it's all colors mixed up."

After hearing that explanation of how he sees the world Yang decides to tease him about it.

"So we get 4 people of the same aura color and have them all meet you at the same time, how do you tell the difference," She said with a smile.

"Yang I'm blind, not deaf. So nice try, but I can sort out who's who."

"It was worth a try."

"So you can see emotions?" Blake asked now curious about what he just described. "How are they portrayed?"

"Well it's all color coded," he explained. "But it's hard when everyone's aura gets a color. So I just listen to the voice talking at the moment."

"Well, I was worried there for a moment," Weiss admitted with her thoughts. "I thought that you could see 'everything'."

"I can, but I have to focus very hard to do so," he said truthfully. "It also puts a strain on me."

"So do you know what our faces look like?" Ruby asked with curiosity and worry. "Isn't that a little weird to know people without ever seeing them?"

"It is, but I can't focus on everything Ruby," Strom said with some sadness in his voice. "Just like how multi tasking never works really."

"What if you just focused solely on one object," Weiss was the one to offer this advice. "You may have to give up some vision to see in what you're looking at in detail."

"Huh, I never thought of that," he said before thinking about the idea. "It can also leave me very vulnerable to being hit or attacked, not that I'm saying that anyone in this room would attack me."

"Then why don't we try it out then," Yang offered the idea. "We could use it as a little bonding experience with you."

"Well there is harm in trying," he admitted curious of what they look like in detail. "Anyone want to be first?"

"Oh my," Yang saw her opportunity to tease and flirt. "You naughty thing, don't you ask them on a date first before that?"

"YANG" Weiss and Blake cried out at the same time then getting into a heated discussion while Ruby was trying to figure out what her sister meant.

"Hey Strom, what does she mean by that?" Ruby asked her male teammate who was trying to figure it out himself. "I know what a date is but I don't understand what she means."

"Well then, you're a step ahead of me, because I don't know what a date is or what she means," Strom said thinking about it before switching to the original plan. "Would you like to be my first, Ruby?"

"Oh yes I would like that," Ruby said before she squealed excitedly. "So what do you need me to do?"

"I think that it's all on me to look but if you could sit and stay still for a little bit that would be great," Strom said as he closer to her face.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Yang said while pulling on his scarf reeling him back. "I hope you are not trying to take advantage of us while you look at us."

"Well I was going to get a little close, so I can be able to focus my aura on her face," Strom explained without hesitation or fear. "Why did you stop me Yang?"

Yang just sighs as she lets go of his scarf, "Alright you need to learn things after this."

"Learn what?" he asked trying to figure out what she meant.

"Just- Just focus Strom," Yang said looking at the clock noticing that it was nine-o-clock at night. "We have to get ready for Peach's assignment for next week."

Strom focused on the faces of his team one at a time, taking notice of all the details of his friends. From Weiss's scar over her left eye to Blake's twitching bow. Yang had beautiful lilac eyes, Ruby was looking at him with innocent silver eyes, Blake was staring right through him with her glowing amber eyes, and Weiss had been watching him with analyzing blue eyes. After looking at all of their facial features he came to one conclusion.

"Yang, I'm taking Ruby as my new little sister," Strom said with playful determination. "She is too adorable for you to keep to yourself."

"Now hold on there just a second Strom," Yang playfully challenged Strom. "You can't have her unless the big sister says so."

"You may be older than her," he continues on with the act, as he points to Ruby. "But she will be the one who decides who gets to be the older sibling."

"What," the red reaper asked with a face that was completely, and adorably, confused.

"You have to choose Ruby who will be your older sibling," Yang announced dramatically. "Will it be the big sister who has always taken care of you and will take you cookies away if you answer wrong, or the new stranger that you don't know how he treats his family?"

"Hey that's not fair," Strom replied. "You're threatening to-"

"Yang hands down" Ruby interrupted Strom making Yang smile.

"And there you go," Yang declaring victory. "So now you can't-"

"But Strom could join the family if you get together with him, Yang" Ruby interrupted again causing everyone to look at what she said.

Both Yang and Strom blushed until they were red as strawberries, Blake and Weiss were trying not to laugh. Ruby was slow to realize what she just said, but when she does she joins Yang and Strom in the blushing competition.

"Okay, okay," Blake said recovering from her laughing fit. "How about we all get to bed before we lose sleep from this night?"

"Agreed." The entire team replies and head off to bed, while Strom going to the bathroom to sleep.

The day had come for the assignment; Prof. Goodwitch had taken the first year teams to the Forest of Forever Fall in order to complete the assignment from Prof. Peach. The assignment was to collect one jar of red sap from each person. Strom looked around and saw Cardin dragging Jaune around like a pack mule, along with Pyrrha sighing as she went with her team.

' _Looks like he didn't talk to his team like he should have, Oh well, I guess that he wants thing done the hard way.'_ Strom thought to himself as he went with his team.

Strom and the rest of his friends were collecting sap when suddenly members from team CRDL were running their way shouting out 'Ursa'. Teams RWBY and JNPR had split up to make sure no one would get hurt and to alert Prof. Goodwitch. Strom went with Ruby and Weiss along with Pyrrha to assist those in trouble.

When they arrived at the scene, Cardin was about to be mauled by the Ursa, but Jaune stepped in and blocked the claw with his shield. He also managed to get a swing of his sword against the Grimm to little effect. As Jaune tries to dodge the attacks and just keeps getting hit by the Grimm. Weiss was about to enter the battle, but Pyrrha stopped her from doing so. She wanted to see what he could do, along with Strom. At the peak of the fight, both the Grimm and huntsman in training charged at each other, making a final move to end the other. Jaune's sword was going to connect but his shield was not in the correct place to deflect the incoming paw; Pyrrha had outstretched her hand and moved the shield, much to Strom's surprise. After the adjustment Jaune had killed the Ursa by decapitating its head. Jaune walked over picked Cardin up and told him not to mess with his friends.

"How did you-" Weiss asked before cutting herself off.

"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs, and Strom's semblance remains a mystery, while mine is polarity." Pyrrha answered.

"You can control poles." Ruby said.

"No you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism." Weiss shot back.

"Magnets are cool too." Ruby said quietly still in awe of what she saw.

"So we're keeping it a secret I guess." Strom said knowing that Pyrrha was walking away.

"Yes we are." Pyrrha said happily, seeing that Jaune stepped up towards Cardin.

The teens started to walk away when an Alpha Ursa made its face with Jaune and Cardin who were weakened due to the previous fight. The Alpha roared as it charged towards the injured as the other teens were turning around.

"Jaune!" Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha shouted trying to get their weapons ready. But the next sound they heard was deafening.

 _ **SLAM!**_

The teens opened their eyes to see that Strom had already ended the fight. The Grimm started to dissolve where it stood, its bone plate on its chest broken into the chest cavity.

"Know this right now," Strom started still looking at the corpse of the Grimm. "I will never hold back against your kind."

After the incident they noticed that the temperature rose a little from when Strom went into action. They went back to Beacon with a jar to every name. Later on, Jaune was on the balcony again, as both Pyrrha and Strom came up to him.

"No Cardin tonight?" Pyrrha asked with sarcasm plastered all over her voice. "I thought you two were best buds."

"Pyrrha I'm sorry," Jaune said as he turned around to face both of them. "I was a jerk. You were only trying to be nice and I had all of this stupid macho stuff in my head-"

"Jaune. It's okay," Pyrrha said with a smile. "Your team really misses their leader, you know. You should come down. Ren made pancakes~. No syrup though, you can thank Nora for that."

"Wait," Jaune interjected before Pyrrha could leave the balcony. "I know I don't deserve it after all of that happened, but would you still be willing to help me to become a better fighter."

"About time," Strom said looking at the moon. "I thought I was going to pull teeth."

"Hey!" Jaune said after being pushed down by Pyrrha.

"Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground," Pyrrha informed him as she helped her leader up. "Let's try that again."

"Before you do, I have to do this." Strom said interrupting the two before they could begin. "Jaune, I'm going to make sure that this will never happen again. To do that I will hit you as hard as I want to."

"What? That's not what you told me you needed him for." Pyrrha said getting into a defensive position for her leader. Jaune places a hand on her shoulder as he steps around her.

"Pyrrha, it's fine I deserve this."

"But you've seen what he can do," she tried to reason with both of them. "Don't do this to each other."

Jaune had already walked up to Strom prepping himself for what is to come. Strom could see the commitment in Jaune's stride over to him.

"So are you ready?" Strom asked. "Not going to run away or keep what is troubling you to yourself anymore?"

"Yes and Yes." Jaune said as he closed his eyes.

Strom reeled back his hand clenching it tightly into a fist. Pyrrha turned away so she could not see what was about to happen. Jaune tensed up to receive the blow when he felt a hand clapping on his shoulder. Both of the teens looked to see that Strom was just clapping his hand on Jaune.

"Good, That was it," Strom said finally sensing relief from half the members to team JNPR. "I hope that training goes well for both of you."

As he headed down the stairwell, ready for sleep, he looked back at the two smiling at each other.

' _They make a great couple for each other. I hope they end up together.'_ Strom thought to himself as he continues to his dorm room to sleep all the excitement away.

 **(Author note: I wonder what the next Chapter is going to be about? Yeah sarcasm, get over it.**

 **Wow 7959 words in this chapter, making it the longest of this story for now. If you have enjoyed what you are reading or feel as if something isn't right about it, don't be afraid to leave a review or a comment about it. I am not going to lie, but this story almost did not get finished. I worked overtime than what I am used to, but that ends tomorrow.**

 **Hey I managed to make this story within that week as the longest ever that I made. 21 pages on Word, and with that my readers I need sleep.**

 **I hope that the next chapter will be better than this one- SirArondight.**


	5. Chapter 5

**(Author's note: Here I am with the fifth installment of Fighting Fury. And to those who have been able to make it through those awful first two chapters…. Well I thank you all for reading my work. I can't tell you guys and gals enough of how happy I am to make this for you all. Hopefully my work can only get better and YES, I do plan to rewrite the first two chapters…. Let's face it and rip the bandage off, they suck. The grammar is trash and the characters are a little bland.**

 **But enough of looking at the past it's time to keep moving forward with the story.)**

Chapter 4: Acceptance

All five members of RWBY were down at the docks looking at the preparations being made for the Vytal festival. Weiss was very excited to see it in action; the rest of the team looked in curiosity of why Weiss was so happy to begin with.

"Oh the Vytal festival, this is so wonderful," Weiss said looking almost like a child very excited for their birthday.

"Wow Weiss, I have never seen you smile this much, it's kind of creepy," Ruby said softly while taking a step away from Weiss.

"How can you not smile about this time? The collections of cultures, food, diversity, and a tournament will be held as well," the heiress listed off her reasons that the festival brings her joy. "The planning and budgeting that has to take place to make this happen is just wonderful."

"Leave it to Weiss to make something fun sound boring and gray," Yang said with a bored tone.

"Yeah, it I wanted to be bored to death, wouldn't Port's class be enough for that?" Strom said his remark for the mention of budgeting.

"Oh quiet you two," the heiress snapped back. "This is a good chance to see what happens here."

"Yes, because all of the Vytal festival happens at the docks," Strom said with a heavy amount of sarcasm from his voice.

"So why are we here at the docks on our Friday afternoon, instead of- oh I don't know 'anywhere else'," Yang added with annoyance that her plans of R&R are gone.

"It reeks of fish," Ruby said trying to not smell the aroma in the air. "Why are we here as well?"

"Well I thought that since there will be students from Vacuo coming in today that it would be my duty as a representative of beacon to welcome them to this kingdom," Weiss said with pride.

"Ok I know that I may not be in with the times," Strom started to figure out her plan. "But I do know when I hear a story that is full of-"

"She wants to spy on them so she has the upper hand in the tournament," Blake said exposing the heiress's true purpose.

"You have no way to prove that," Weiss said in defense knowing that she was almost busted.

"Wait, how did you know it would be students from Vacuo who would be coming in today?" Strom asked starting to put pieces together. "I think you may have sunk yourself Weiss."

"What? How dare-" Weiss said starting to scramble for a chance of getting out of her predicament when Ruby found one for her.

"Woah," the rose reaper said as the others began to see what she was looking at. They all started to gravitate towards the crime scene and the two detectives in order to find out what happened.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked the detectives with her team right behind her.

"Dust robbery. Second one to be hit this week. This place is becoming a jungle," the detective said while returning to the scene.

"That's terrible," Yang said sadly.

"Yeah, I hope that no one was hurt," Strom added looking at the scene with disgust.

"They left all the money again. Why?" the detective's partner noticed about the place.

"Who needs that much dust anyway?" the detective asked trying to get an idea of who would fit the requirements.

"Tch, I don't know who would," his partner replied.

"Do you think the White Fang might have something to do with this?" the detective asked his partner to see if he shares the same thought.

"I think we don't get paid enough for what we do," the partner replied.

"I think that they don't care enough," Strom whispered softly to himself.

"The White Fang, what an awful bunch of degenerates," Weiss said in disgust and anger.

"Whoa, what was that for?" Strom asked trying to figure out why his teammate said that.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked starting to get agitated.

"My problem?" Weiss asked in shock. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths," Blake said defensively. "They're a group of misguided faunus."

"Misguided?" Weiss said in disbelief. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet."

"What? I thought that they were a group of peaceful protesters," Strom said in shock. "Are we sure that we're talking about the same White Fang"

"Yes and No," Weiss answered. "Yes it is the same group of Faunus; no they are no longer peaceful about it."

"They're just 'very' misguided," Blake said getting defensive from Weiss's accusations. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in downtown Vale."

"Blake has a point there," Ruby jumped in the conversation. "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago, maybe it was him."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum," Weiss declared. "Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat and steal."

"That's not necessarily true," Yang said in defense for the entire race.

"Yeah, Weiss you better have some very hard evidence or statistics about that statement," Strom said crossing his arms.

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" someone had shouted out.

"That could've had better timing," Strom said sarcastically rushing over to see what was happening along with the rest of his team.

What they saw was a monkey faunus with blonde hair and blonde tail running on the ship, jumped off onto the docks with a banana.

"Thanks for the ride guys," the stowaway said as he chuckled.

"You no-good stowaway," the sailor shouted.

"Hey a 'no-good' stowaway would have been captured," the faunus argued. "I'm a great stowaway."

"Get down from there this instant," the detective from earlier demanded looking rather aggravated about his luck. The response he got was a banana peel thrown at his face. They chased after him, running up the stair and past team RWBY.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition," Yang states without a care. "And there it goes."

"Quick, we must observe him," she said and rushed after the group.

"So you do admit that you wanted the advantage," Strom said while running with his team.

"Oh just- Quiet you," was all she could come up with as they continued to chase the group until Weiss ran into someone, knocking them down.

"No, he got away," Weiss said not noticing the person she was over.

"Uh Weiss?" Yang said pointing at who she was on top of.

"I think you have issues that are closer than you realize," Strom said gesturing to the ground.

"Euh!" Weiss shouted as she stood up quickly now noticing the girl she was on top of.

"Salutations," the mystery girl said as she waved at the team.

"Are you sure you didn't hit her hard enough Weiss?" Strom asked concerned about the behavior he was witnessing.

"Oh how could I know she was there?" Weiss snapped back.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked concerned that she girl may have hit her head.

"I am fine," she replied. "Thank you for asking."

"Do you want to get up?" Yang continued the awkward conversation.

"Yes I do," the girl said as she jumped up onto her feet. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Hello Penny, I'm Ruby," the Reaper said with a little joy in her voice.

"I'm Weiss," Weiss said with a tone that says 'not like I have to tell you'.

"Blake," Blake just stands there with her arms crossed.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head," Yang said but after being hit in the side by Blake, she introduced herself. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"I am Strom Teitsia," he said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Penny said happily.

"You already said that," Weiss said in a rush.

"So I did," Penny said realizing after a moment.

"Well, sorry for running into you," Weiss said apologetically.

"That was a weak apology," Strom said as the rest of the team started to walk away.

"Quiet!" was all the heiress could say.

"Take care, friend," Ruby said as she waved goodbye.

"She was…. weird," Yang said after the group was away from Penny.

"Kind of rude, don't you think?" Strom said facing Yang.

"Now," Weiss said as if getting the team back on track. "Where did that faunus riffraff run off too?"

"What did you call me?" Penny asked looking at the group.

"Oh I'm sorry," Yang said. "I definitely didn't think that you would hear me."

"Not you," Penny said walking past Yang and towards Ruby. "You."

"Me?" Ruby squeaked out trying to figure out what she did wrong.

"You called me 'friend'," Penny said making sure that she thought right. "Am I really your friend?"

Ruby looked past Penny's shoulder to see what the rest of her team thought. Weiss, Blake and Yang were signaling 'no', while Strom just shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head a little.

"Yeah, sure," Ruby said uneasily. "Why not?"

"Sen-sational," Penny exclaimed to the world as the rest of Ruby's team with the exclusion of Strom just fell down out of disbelief. "We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like him."

"Okay, enough with the theatrics," Strom said as he helped Blake and Yang up.

"Is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby asked Weiss hoping that she wasn't like this.

"No, she seems far more coordinated," Weiss said dusting herself off.

"So, what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked like she said nothing wrong at all.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament," Penny proudly states.

"Wait, you're going to be in the tournament?" Weiss asks in disbelief.

"I'm combat ready," Penny says as she salutes to the heiress.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part," Weiss said thinking that Penny would not make it far in the tournament.

"Excuse me," Strom interjected. "I wear nothing but a Sarong to battle and you think 'she' doesn't fit the part."

"I agree," Blake stated. "And besides, you're wearing a dress."

"It's a combat skirt," Weiss said in defense of her choice of clothing.

"Yeah," Ruby said sliding close to Weiss for a high five.

 _ **SLAP!**_

"Wait a minute," Weiss said while walking towards Penny. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that rapscallion?"

"The who?" Penny asked as Blake was getting clearly pissed at Weiss.

"The filthy faunus that we chased from the docks!" Weiss shouted out loud.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Blake said having enough of Weiss's discrimination. "Stop calling him a rapscallion, stop calling him a degenerate. He is a person!"

"Do you all mean the one behind me?" Penny said curiously.

"What?" the females of team RWBY shout out as they look at Strom.

"Wow…. Just like that and I'm found out," Strom said in disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were…. one of them," Weiss said choosing her words with little thought. "Why did you lie to us?"

"I never lied about being a faunus, just the reason of why I need water," Strom said after a sigh he reaches up to his scarf and undo it. "This is who I am."

"A fish?" Ruby asked counting the gills on his neck.

Yang asked Strom, "Why did you hide the fact that you are a fish faunus from us?"

"Well, I just never felt comfortable telling people why I need water so much," Strom said placing his scarf back on his neck. "I dislike feeling that I do not belong with the others."

"Strom you wear that wrap around your waist without a shirt," Ruby said trying to comfort him. "You already stand out a little, because you're a great person."

"Why do you need water exactly?" Weiss asked irritated.

"I need water, because I start to become someone who seems… out of it," Strom said trying to find his words.

"What do you mean by out of it?" Blake asked him.

"Well, I start to lose my mind," Strom said when he couldn't find anything else to explain. "Granted it's slow but it can gradually get worse."

"How bad are we talking here?" Yang asked in concern.

"Well, bad enough to where I can attack anyone without care," Strom said with a defeated tone. "And yes, I speak from experience."

"So that's why you carry a water bottle on you," Ruby said quietly.

"That's right and when it gets empty, I refill it," Strom said trying to become happy again.

"Okay getting back on track," Weiss said turning to Blake. "Do you want me to stop calling this trash can a trash can, or this lamp post as a lamp post."

"Stop it!" Blake shouted.

"Stop what?" Weiss asked. "He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other faunus in the White Fang."

"You Ignorant little brat," Blake shouts as she walks away to get some space.

"Wow, really so does that apply to every faunus you meet?" Strom asked getting into the argument now.

"Well no," Weiss stated. "But you're different from the others."

"Why, because you actually had some time to get to know me?" Strom said before he started to walk away.

"How dare you talk to me like that," Weiss shouted at both of them. "I am your teammate."

"You are a judgmental little girl," Blake said continuing the argument.

"If you think that you are better than anyone else, you have another thing coming," Strom said getting angry. "Because I will make sure that lesson get's driven hard."

"What in the world makes you say that?" Weiss shouted out.

"We should probably go now," Yang said to not cause a scene where the team was.

"The fact that you would go and place that faunus boy with the terrorist group-," Blake started go on. "- solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be."

"So you admit the White Fang are a group of terrorists," Weiss tried to claim victory.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Blake said going on the defensive.

"Okay now how about we get out of here before we get 'any more' attention," Strom shouted making sure he was heard by both of his arguing teammates. "I would rather not have to spend time at the Vale P.D. if I can."

The team made their way back to Beacon before they got complaints raised against them for disturbing the peace. When they arrived they ate their dinner in silence still feeling the tension between the three teammates.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem," Weiss remarked as everyone got inside the dorm.

"That 'is' the problem," Blake remarked back.

"ARRGH, why are you both at this still?" Strom asked with his anger returning.

"Because she needs to realize that she is defending an organization that hates humanity," Weiss reasoned pointing at Blake. "The faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"That can't be true Weiss," Strom stated knowing what he believed in. "The only 'prue evil' in this world is grimm."

"They are not 'pure evil'," Blake continued on her defense. "Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like 'you' that force the White Fang to take such measures."

"People like me?" Weiss said in shock.

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss shouted then lowering voice but still loud enough to be heard. "You want to know 'why' I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the faunus?"

"Wow still here," Strom said but was ignored by Weiss.

"It's because they have been at war with my family for years," she continued remembering her past. "War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a nice target on it for as long as I can remember. And during my childhood, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, a train of dust stolen. And 'every day' my father would come home furious, which did not make for a nice childhood."

"Weiss I-" Ruby tried to comfort her distressed teammate before being interrupted by Weiss.

"No! You want to know why I despise the White Fang?" Weiss shouted out. "It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves and MURDERERS!"

"WELL MAYBE WE WE'RE TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!" Blake shot back at the heiress slowly realizing her mistake as everyone looked at her in shock. She tried to get something out but then took off running.

"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby shouted as Blake continued to run away.

"Do you see what you have done?" Strom asked Weiss as he went into the bathroom to try and see if Blake would answer her scroll, but had no luck. He thought about trying to go out and search for her but what would he say if he found her. So he just filled the tub and went to sleep.

When Ruby woke up in the morning with the exclusion of Blake, she heard the splashing of water, and saw Yang and Weiss dressed for the day. Strom was up and ready to search for Blake. He wore his sarong and a gray sweatshirt for the day. Looked at Weiss and glared at her if he had eyes to be shown.

"What's wrong with you Strom?" Weiss asked with anger in her voice.

"Oh I'm having a spectacular morning," Strom said angrily and sarcasm dripping from his tone. "I just thought that the argument and the fact that Blake ran away were just the highlights of my night. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that she was a criminal as well," Weiss returned with sarcasm. "Did you want me to react like everything is fine and nothing can go wrong at all?"

"Tch. If I had known that you would be like this I would have taken my chances back at the underground fight clubs," he replied.

"Oh of course you would want to fight," Weiss started with her remark. "Because we all know that you just can't wait to throw that punch at me."

"Is that a challenge?" Strom asked trying to control his anger.

"Guys stop it please," Ruby cried out.

"No Ruby he wants this to happen," Weiss claimed

"WHY WOULD I WANT TO FIGHT MY OWN TEAM?!" Strom shouted loudly. "I'm going to look for Blake."

"Wait," Yang said grabbing his arm. "I'll come with you."

"Thanks," he said and his expression softened learning that she doesn't want to stop him. "You must be worried as well."

"Of course I am," Yang said sincerely. "I care for everyone on this team."

"Weiss and I will look down by the docks today," Ruby delegated her team of where everyone would look over the weekend. "Yang and Strom, you go look the downtown area and by any book or fish stores."

"Sounds good to me," Strom said smiling at his leader then turning to Yang. "You ready to go?"

"I am," she replied. "let's go find Blake."

"I don't see why I should head out to look for the criminal," Weiss remarked. "If anything, we should call the police for this."

"Call Blake a criminal one more time," Strom said coldly as he got close to Weiss causing her to back up. "And I will break your oversized thumb tack, shatter every glyph you hold dear, and leave you in a state where your family would have to rob a bank just to get started on the damages that I can deal. Do I make myself clear?"

Weiss couldn't respond because she knew deep down that Strom was not a person to be taken lightly. She even witnessed him knockout a guy in a single punch, tie with Pyrrha Nikos, and kill a Alpha Ursa by punching a hole into its chest. She knew that he was not someone to anger. So all she did was nod her head.

"Great," Strom said with anger. "It seems like fear will drive everyone. Let's go I don't want to waste any more time."

When the team got off the bullhead at downtown Vale they split into their groups and started to look for Blake. Yang and Strom first stopped by a little book store named Tuskon's Book Store, asked the owner of the store if he had seen their missing teammate and left finding out nothing.

"Ugh, we're not going to have an easy time are we?" Yang complained wanting to find Blake desperately.

"Don't worry so much Yang, we will find her," Strom said trying to reassure his friend. "Yes it won't be easy, but we will find her"

"Do you think that she may have tried to look for that faunus from yesterday?" Yang asked trying to figure out where they might find Blake.

"I don't know, Yang, I don't know," Strom said saddened. "I hope that she doesn't get hurt."

"You and me both," Yang said looking down.

After they looked around for 4 hours they decided to get lunch and then continued to look for another 6 hours. After no luck they head back to rest and try again. By the next day, the entire team set out together to look for Blake.

"She's been gone all weekend," Ruby states the obvious but no one decides to take the chance."

"Blake's a big girl, I'm sure she can take care of herself," Weiss decided to continue to be a stuck up princess.

"Weiss come on," Yang tried to be reasonable with her. "She's one of our teammates."

"Is she?" Weiss continued. "We all heard what she said."

"Weiss," Ruby said her tone getting serious.

"Maybe she is," Yang said getting tired of what she was hearing. "Maybe she isn't. Either way she's missing and we need to find her."

"I agree with you Yang," Strom said trying not to let what Weiss was saying get to him. "We need Blake know that we support her. Whether she's faunus or not, member of the White Fang or not."

"She's a member of the White Fang, right underneath our noses the entire time," Weiss said in disbelief to what she was hearing. "How could you still be so trusting Strom?"

"Because I don't want to lose anyone else like I did with her," Strom said remembering his fallen friend. "I'll let you all know the story when we find Blake, because she deserves to hear this as well."

"I hope she's alright," Ruby said sadly, looking at the ground in a daze.

The team continued to search for few hours before taking a quick break to get drinks. Then they continued their search for their lost teammate.

"Blake!" Ruby and Yang shouted out loud hoping that they would be heard by their missing teammate.

"Blake," Strom joined the efforts hoping that his voice could boom louder than the others. "Where are you?"

"Weiss, you're not helping," Ruby said agitated at the only person not truly helping.

"Yeah, don't be one of those people who don't do work in the group and take credit," Strom said quietly."

"Oh," the heiress said as if she had an idea. "You know who might be able to help? The police."

"Ugh, Weiss," Ruby grew even more impatient with her partner.

"It was just an idea," Weiss said trying to defend herself.

"Yeah a bad one," Ruby remarked.

"That idea is about as good as trying to give a handshake to a shark's open mouth," Strom gave his thoughts on the heiress's idea.

"Weiss, I think that we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions about her," Yang said defending her partner.

"I think that once we hear it, you'll all realize that I was right," Weiss declared with pride.

"Well I'm still open to let her stay with us." Strom said in front of Weiss as the team continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"And I think that Weiss' hair looks wonderful today," Penny said walking behind Weiss.

"Penny, where did you come from?" Ruby shouted out loud.

"Wait, I though you all saw her following us the entire time that we've been walking." Strom said in shock.

"Hey guys," Penny said with cheerfulness. "What are you up to?"

"Looking for our friend, Blake," Yang answered her.

"Oh," Penny said as if she remembers. "You mean the faunus girl."

"Is your semblance some form of x-ray vision?" Strom asked while stepping back from Penny.

"Yeah," Ruby said catching on to what Strom was asking. "How did you know that?"

"Uh, the cat ears," Penny said as if it were clear as day.

"What cat ears?" Yang asked. "She wears a… bow."

"She does like tuna a lot," Ruby whispered to Yang.

"I thought she was more of a salmon person," Strom whispered to the sisters.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked the team.

"We don't know," Ruby said sadly. "She's been missing since Friday."

"That's terrible," Penny said holding Ruby in her arms. "Well don't you worry Ruby, my friend. I will not rest until we find your teammate."

"I appreciate the help but you don't have to work yourself so hard," Strom said making sure that she wouldn't harm herself. "I think we all would feel bad if you got sick or something."

"Oh thank you for your concern," Penny said looking at Strom. "But I am ready to help my friend."

"That's really nice of you Penny, but we're- we're okay," Ruby said trying to not hurt Penny's feelings. "Right guys?"

"They left when she said "Ruby, my friend,"" Strom informed Ruby who was looking for the rest of her team. "I'll stick around with you though, Ruby."

"It sure is windy today," Penny stated after seeing a tumbleweed roll by.

"Why is that even here?" Strom asked himself. "Hey I'm going to do some thinking for a bit while we walk so just nudge me if you need something."

"Why would we need to nudge you?" Ruby asked.

"Well when I start thinking, I get lost in my thoughts," Strom said with a smile of embarrassment. "And I have had a tendency to not look where I'm going when I do."

"No worries Strom, my friend, we will make sure that you stay with us and contact you when we need you," Penny declared.

"Thanks," Strom said trying to not look worried as they continued to look for their teammate.

' _Okay, first off, Penny creeps me out. Now to important business; Where is Blake? A good question, but not impossible to solve, as the elders say "Power means nothing if you lack the mind to use it." Which brings me back to my big question; Where is Penny and Ruby?'_ Strom thought to himself as he realized that he has lost both Penny and Ruby.

"One task, they had," Strom said while rubbing his temples. "Failed, they did."

' _Okay, it can't get worse right? So, if I were Blake what would I be doing right now? Maybe eating some fish? No, that's stereotypical. Hunting Grimm? No, that seems to be more of what 'I' would do. Try and confirm my fears that the White Fang is the culprits for the dust robberies? Well, that's specific, but an idea. The big question is where. Where would people go for dust in huge quantities?'_ He continued to think to himself while walking aimlessly until he was shouted at.

"Hey kid!" an angry worker shouted at him. "Move out of the way unless you want this shipment of Dust on top of you."

"Oh sorry," Strom replied then realizing what he heard. "Wait, did you say Dust?"

"Yes I did, A Schnee Dust Company freighter," the worker said still a angry for the setback. "Why, do you need some? Then go to the stores like everyone else."

"Actually I was wondering if I could help out with the work," Strom said trying to get a reason to stay here longer.

"Forget it kid, we don't need any more help," the worker said turning back. "Just head back to school and try again later."

"Oh that's a shame I was hoping I could do some 'volunteer work' as a hunter-in-training," Strom said using what he has seen from Yang in the past few months. "But I guess that's-"

"AAH! GRIMM IN THE WATER!" an employee ran away for his life as a squid-like grimm climbed onto the docks. Strom's senses went into autopilot as he charged the grimm. He dodged a tentacle that swiped from the right. He grabbed a different tentacle only for it to slip out of his grasp.

' _Hmm, looks like the arms are soft and squishy. All punching and kicking will do is bruise the arms. But what about the head?'_ Strom thought to himself as he thought of a strategy.

Strom ran to the left towards some boxes as the grimm followed him. He jumped onto the boxes and proceeded to run off the box and plant a spin kick to the grimm's face, only to learn that it was as soft as the arms.

' _Damn, I thought that it might be hard around the head but it's just as soft. The only ways I have to kill this grimm is to find something sharp to cut it, blow it up with dust, or use my semblance,'_ Strom thought checking his surroundings for anything. He couldn't find any dust that the workers would happily give; he couldn't find anything sharp besides a box cutter.

' _Okay looks like I have to do things the hard way, Find an open enough area for my semblance,'_

Strom continued to punch and kick the grimm to keep its attention focused on him and not the workers. After a minute of looking he found an area big enough to use his semblance. Everything was in position; he was in an open area, the grim was in the center of the space, and no boxes would come to harm from his semblance. Strom's body was then engulfed by flames, the air around him heated to unbearable temperatures, but he didn't show any signs of pain.

"Welcome to Hell's Wrath," Strom told the grimm. "Very few get to witness it, and even less has survived the experience."

Strom grabbed a tentacle sending a searing pain to the grimm's arm, causing it to try and free itself from his grasp with no luck.

"What's the matter?" Strom said taunting the grimm. "Didn't you know that meat can get tough when cooked for too long?"

The Grimm's arm hardened until it fell off, where Strom had grabbed turned into ash. The grimm used three tentacles to try and push the threat away, unfortunately for the grimm; Strom had caught the other tentacles and started to burn them as well. As soon as the arms were burnt to ash the grimm tried to use the tentacle it had left to try and escape. Strom decided that it was time to end the beasts suffering, so he grabbed the side of the head lifted the grimm into open air.

"Burn," Strom said with a wicked grin on his face as he spouted flames from his hands. The beast was struggling to make the pain go away as it was engulfed in flames. The sight would even the most seasoned of hunters cringe at the state it was in, but it soon went limp and started to disintegrate. Strom deactivated his semblance and looked at the damages he has caused.

"Hmm, not bad actually," he said in surprise. "Only a few scorch marks here and there but nothing that can't be fixed."

"Hey kid," the worker that had yelled at him earlier walked up to the hunter-in-training. "That was quite the show you put on, and Thank you for keeping everyone safe, and everything safe."

"Well, I know that it's not easy to explain why everything is burnt to a crisp when I'm involved," Strom said calmly. "But my main focus was the grimm, and sorry for the scorch marks."

"Oh don't worry about that," the worker said easily. "At least nothing blew up."

"True," Strom said then remembering his quest. "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I stayed around here and make sure that no one wants to take away the dust. Like Torchlick or something like that."

"His name is Roman Torch-wick," the worker said correcting him. "And I think that would be a great idea. How much you need?"

"What?" Strom asked confused about the question.

"How much you want? Money," the worker said in disbelief.

"Well actually if my theory is correct, my friend, who went missing from the team, should show up here if a dust robbery would take place," Strom informed the worker of his plan. "And help prevent it if there is a robbery, as would I."

"Okay, then I guess that you can stay around here for as long as you need," the worker said. "Just don't be too noisy."

"Trust me you won't even know that I'm here," Strom said with a smile as he went onto the roof of the place and meditated until it was night. All the workers had left for the night. He had sensed two more auras come into his surroundings. The first one was Blake's, the second one he recognized as the faunus from the docks on Friday.

"Oh boy, looks like my theory was correct after all," Strom said excitedly. "Also I found you Blake."

Strom rushed to go down the ladder then to the building that Blake was at. When he climbed to the top, the faunus from the docks was gone only leaving Blake alone. He smiled as he walked up to Blake casually.

"Hi Blake, lovely evening tonight," Strom said hoping to not startle his teammate.

"Strom," Blake said in surprise and fear. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you Blake," he said out of genuine concern. "Everyone on the team is looking for you."

"Don't think that you are going to make me come back right now," Blake said determined to find out if the White Fang were behind the Dust robberies. "I'm not coming back until I find out if it is really the White Fang or not."

"As much as I would love to bring you back right now, can I ask you a question?" Strom asked politely.

"Fine," Blake sighs as she knows that she can't lose Strom. "What is it?"

"Are you still a member of the White Fang?" he asked in a serious tone. "Please, do not lie to me."

"No Strom, I am no longer a part of the White Fang," she answered him straight on, without hesitation. "I'm dedicating my life to become a Huntress so I can help everyone."

"Okay then," Strom said with joy on his face. "There will be no problems then when we get back to Beacon."

"How can you be so sure?" Blake asked.

"Because you saw the wrong of their ways, and you are trying to become a better person," Strom replied, sitting down next to Blake on her left side. "So I don't hold it against friends if they haven't done anything 'majorly' bad. But I will try and stop all wrongdoings if I can and am in the vicinity."

"That's very nice of you Strom, but I don't think that the rest of the team would agree," Blake said with a sad frown on her face. "Well, I'm certain that 'one' will not agree."

"Well Weiss is going to have to get over herself then," Strom said lying on his back now.

The peaceful silence between the two faunus lasted about two minutes before the monkey faunus who was here earlier returned.

"Hey Blake," the faunus said looking at the new person. "Who is this clown?"

"Well, 'this clown' is my teammate Strom Teitsia," Blake answered before turning to Strom. "Strom this is my new friend Sun Wukong."

"Nice to meet you, Sun," Strom said getting up to show a smile.

"Dude, isn't it early to be going to sleep?" Sun asked seeing the band over Strom's eyes.

"Yes it is but, that won't change me from being blind, now would it?" Strom answered with noticeable agitation.

"Okay, that's a topic I will not continue to talk about," Sun said getting the message. "Anyways did I miss anything?"

"Not really the offloaded every crate from the boat," Blake said being bored about the sight. "Now they just sit there."

"Cool, I stole you some food and water," Sun said without feeling guilt.

"Do you always break the law without giving any thought about what you're doing?" Blake asked wondering why he would steal when it wasn't necessary.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun said and after receiving a look from Blake decided that it wasn't cool. "Alright, too soon. What about you Strom?"

"Well I will take the water because my water bottle ran out three hours ago," Strom said taking the water and taking a sip without hesitation. "However you will show me where you got this so I can pay for it."

"That's lame," Sun said in response to what he just heard.

Engines screamed and the air blasted at the three teens as they watched a Bullhead make a land at the docks. The doors opened and a few members of the White Fang exited the airship.

"Oh no," Blake said as her eyes widened with shock.

"Is that them?" Sun asked as Strom looked over the building to get a better look.

"Yes, it's them," she replied after a few moments of silence.

"You really didn't think that they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked Blake.

"No, I think deep down I knew," she said as she closed her eyes. "I just didn't want to be right."

"Hey what's the hold up?" a man with a hat and cane asked as he walked outside the airship. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves right now, so, why don't you animals pick up the pace."

"This can't be right," Blake said as she stood up and unsheathed her weapon. "The White Fang would never cooperate with a human, especially not that one."

"Orange aura, wears a silly hat that looks like it goes on a clown, and walks with a cane that just got off the Bullhead?" Strom asked pinpointing his target.

"Yes, his name is Roman Torchwick," Blake said before jumping down.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sun asked as She jumped down. "And where are you going?"

"Me?" Strom asks as he is about to jump. "I'm just going to be there for my teammate."

Strom jumped to where Blake landed but did not run until he heard the engines of two Bullheads make onto the scene, followed by explosions. He knew something happened, so he rushed to the area where he heard the sounds come from. He saw Roman take a few shots at Blake before he decided to make his entrance, but was outshined by Sun who threw a banana peel at Roman. Landing two feet to the face of the thief Sun got to do a few flips before landing.

"Leave her alone," Sun told Roman.

"Show-off!" Strom shouted as he got closer to the action. He saw more bullheads drop off more members of the White Fang to aid Roman.

"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch are you?" Roman taunted seeing that Sun was weaponless.

"Yeah well wearing too much mascara can cloud one's sight," Strom said as he walked up next to Sun.

"Ah, Look everyone, my favorite money maker from the underground fights is here," Roman said with false joy. "But seriously he is one that will be dealt with by me alone."

Roman and Strom charged each other while the rest of the members went after Sun. Some other White Fang members hear the commotion and try to help out Roman, but were quickly knocked out by Strom.

"What did I just tell you animals?" Roman shouted distracting some other members who were then beat down by Sun. "Ugh, it was supposed to be a simple mission."

"Oh don't worry," Strom said as he kicked Roman in the chest twice. "You can do all of your complaining once you're behind bars."

"Okay but how do you handle this?" Roman asks as he pointed his cane and shot Strom point blank in the chest sending him into a crate.

"Strom!" Sun shouted as he started to fight Roman along with Blake who just got there.

As the fight continued Strom was struggling to get up, not because something had him pinned down, but rather he was knocked out.

' _Damn that stung,'_ Strom thought to himself as he tried to wake up from this vision. _'Oh, come on! There is no way that I am out of this fight yet.'_

' _Why are you holding back Strom?'_ A voice asked.

' _Who said that,'_ he asked. _'Who's there?'_

' _Wow, it has been seven years and you forgotten about me?'_ the voice replied.

' _Azure, is that you?'_ Strom asked hoping that he was hearing right.

' _Yes, it's me now what you need to do is-'_ she stared before Strom panicked a little.

' _Does that mean I'm dead?' Strom_ asked as he panicked.

' _No,_ just _listen,'_ Azure said as she was annoyed with what she was seeing. _'You need to stop holding back against everyone, Strom. One of these days you may find someone who is as strong as or stronger than you.'_

' _But what if I'm fighting my friends and I want to save them,'_ Strom asked like a little child who had to ask about everything.

' _Oh for Monty Oum's sake, just promise me, okay?'_ she wanted to make sure that he will not end up joining her in the afterlife. _'I don't want you to join me so soon.'_

' _Okay, I promise that I will not hold back against everyone,'_ Strom said as he opened his eyes and woke up.

Strom had gotten up to see his surroundings. Penny took down two Bullheads with giant laser beams, Sun and Blake were down next to a crate. Roman was running towards the airship closest to him.

"Oh you are not getting away," Strom shouted as he slammed a fist into his open palm creating a shockwave that shook the dock.

"Kids these days just keep getting weirder," Roman whispered as he got on as the bullhead started to turn and fly off.

Strom activated his semblance and charges to the bullhead with roman inside of it. He jumps and grabs a hold of the side of the ship, his hand hot enough to melt and bend the metal side, as he threw his fist into the door of the ship.

"Holy sh-" Roman started before being interrupted by the man who was about to melt the ship.

"Thought you could get rid of me that easily?" Strom asked as he opened the hole wider. He was about to climb inside but Roman pushed him off with the top of his cane and a hand.

"God that hurt," Roman said tending to his burnt hand and saw the scorched top of his cane. "I hope that we never have to encounter him again."

Strom fell into the water and watched as the airship continued to fly off. After a quick curse, Strom then head back to the docks to check up on everyone. As he got closer to everyone he saw that the police had arrived and talked to everyone else. Yang and Weiss had already arrived and everyone saw that Strom was coming back.

"Strom, you're okay and- OH my," Ruby shouted as she got a better look at him.

"Well yes, I'm okay, but what was that about?" Strom asked not noticing himself.

"Oh no," Blake murmured as she saw what happened to her teammate.

"You're hurt, that's the issue," Weiss looked in concern.

"That's a scar from the fight you had," Sun said trying not to look.

"Does it hurt, Strom?" Yang asks as she got rushed to get a better look at it.

He looked down to see what they were talking about, a new scar. The scar that burned through his sweatshirt, shaped like a star in the center of his chest. One length went up to his neck, while another went down to his waist, the others scattered on his chest and stomach. His aura had done a nice job of healing but it looks like that it was done and he was stuck with the scar.

"Well I don't think my mom is going to be happy about this," Strom said with the first person coming to mind. "No one is going to like this back at home."

"I just want to make it clear right now," Yang said as she looks toward everyone else. "We don't like you seeing get hurt or in pain at all, but that scar looks cool in my book."

"Yang now's not the time," Ruby scolded her older sister. "Do you need to go to the hospital, Strom?"

"Huh? No, I don't need to go to the hospital," Strom said with a smile. "But can someone find me a tailor? This sweatshirt was a gift from home, and my mom will strangle me if she found out that it's ruined."

The rest of the group was in disbelief of what they were hearing. He was more worried about an article of clothing than his own wellbeing.

"Strom," Yang started rubbing her forehead. "I don't get to tell you this often enough, but you're weird, man."

"That's what makes me normal," Strom argued grinning. "Anyways, how is everyone doing right now?"

"Well, after everything had happened, Yang and I showed up to the scene and found the rest of them while you were in the water. After that, I confronted Blake and we made up." Weiss stated what had happened while he was away. "So, after everything that happened I can say that the team grew stronger with experience and bonding."

"Neat, I'm glad to hear that," Strom said then yawning. "Well, I think that it is time to get some rest."

"I agree to that," Blake said with something still bothering her but went unnoticed to almost everyone.

Everyone made their way back to Beacon, except for Penny; no one seemed to know where she went. After seeing the new face, Prof. Goodwitch showed Sun to a dorm that his team can use before the Vytal festival, unfortunately Sun would be on his own for a few more days. Yang, Ruby, and Weiss immediately took showers and went to sleep; Blake showered but didn't go to bed but out the dorm room while everyone else was asleep, or so she thought. Strom had just filled the tub but didn't get in when he heard the dorm door open. He decided to go investigate when he didn't see Blake in her bed it was time to investigate.

' _Oh please don't tell me that you're trying to run away again,'_ Strom thought to himself. _'Well I will head to the balcony and see if I can find her from up there.'_

Strom headed up the stairs and when he reached the balcony, he saw Blake standing there. She didn't have her bow on, but he didn't know. He walked up behind her as she turned around.

"Strom, what are you doing here?" She asked. "I thought you would be asleep by now."

"Well I would be," he admitted. "But I heard the door open and when I checked you weren't in bed so I feared that you may have run away again."

"Well I don't plan to run away again, Strom," Blake said trying to not look at the scar on his chest. "Does it still hurt?"

"What, this scar? No, my aura healed it just fine," he said now starting to focus on her face. "But something tells me that you are not alright. May I ask why?"

"I'm sorry," Blake murmured.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," Strom said apologetically looking at his teammate with worry.

"I said I'm sorry," Blake said loud enough for him to hear as she fell to her knees in tears. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but it happened anyways."

"Oh Blake," Strom said in a comforting voice. "It was my fault for getting hurt. I wasn't careful enough around Torchwick, and I was holding back from the start of the fight."

"But it was me who practically forced you into fighting the White Fang and Roman," Blake argued. "I didn't even ask for help. I just charged in thinking that I can take them on."

"You did not ask me for help," he agreed with what she stated before kneeling on the ground and put both of his hands on her shoulders. "However, what kind of person would let their team member- let their family go into that fight without backing them up?"

"You- You consider me family?" Blake asked making sure that she heard him right.

"I consider everyone in team RWBY family," Strom said with a smile. "Now come on, my bow wearing friend, let's get some sleep before we can't stay up during study session before finals."

"Sounds fine to me," Blake said feeling better about everything. "Though, I'm not wearing my bow right now."

"Oh, so you have ears on top of your head as well," Strom said looking at the pair. "That's cool."

"Yeah but having cat ears can be a hassle to clean sometimes," Blake responded.

"Wait, did you say cat ears?" he asked as he turned a little pale.

"Yes, I did say cat ears," she responded. "I am a cat faunus."

"Oh okay," Strom said as he laughed nervously. "So, is fish one of you favorite foods?"

"Yes, fish is-" Blake was about to go on before she figured out what was going on. "Oh wow really, you think that I plan to eat you?"

"No, not really," he said with a genuine laugh. "I was just getting a chance to mess with you is all."

"Oh, well that's a relief," Blake decided to return the favor. "I thought you figured out my plan."

"Haha, that's a laugh," he said before getting nervous again. "You're teasing me, right?"

"Yes I am," Blake said laughing a little. "but seriously, I want some sleep."

"Yeah I agree," Strom said as he started down the stairwell. "Are you coming with me?"

Blake just nodded as she started to go down the stairs with him. They made it back into their dorm and fell asleep near instantly. It was a peaceful time for the team of five. However, peace doesn't always stick to everyone. Roman was thinking about the heist and how it was screwed up.

"A monkey, a cat, Red, a girl who can control many swords like a puppet master, and a brawler who can become a literal fire storm," Roman listed off those he had bumped into. "Oh and let's just give a round of applause for the 'recruits' that worked so hard to get all the dust from this one lousy suitcase."

"How disappointing Roman," a woman's voice came from behind him.

"Whoa, I was not expecting you guys here so soon," Roman replied calmly.

"We were expecting more from you," the voice made its appearance.

"Hey- hey, you were the ones who said that it would be good to work with those mutts of the White Fang."

"And you will continue to do so," the woman said as she creates a fireball in her hand to make her point. "We have big plans for you, Roman. All we need is a little cooperation."

"Well I'm fine with all of that however the problem becomes an issue when you see what two of those 'hunters-in-training' did to the bullheads," Roman said heading for the door.

"Oh this should be nice to see and hear," the girl with green hair said. "More excuses and trying to worm his way out of trouble."

"Now now, let's take a look at what we have here," the woman who wore a red dress and seemed to be in charge of everyone there. "I don't want to hear any more excuses after this, Roman."

As they stepped outside they saw only to out of the five airships that they sent out. One of them was flying back to the headquarters of the White Fang, while the damaged one was still where it was parked.

"What happened?" the ten with gray hair asked. "Did you get attacked by griffons or something?"

"Something," Roman answered. "Remember a few months back when I wouldn't shut up about my money maker?"

"Oh please don't bring that up again," the mint haired girl begs. "The last time you talked about him, you kept on going for days."

"Yeah well, he is now aiming to be a huntsman, like Red," Roman said as he turned to his boss. "You remember her don't you; from that night you had to pilot the airship for a bit?"

"Yes I remember her," the woman said thinking about that night. "So what seems to be the issue with this one?"

"Oh just a brawler nothing important," Roman started and when the mint haired girl was about to speak up he decided to continue. "Just the fact that he has strength that no one can believe is possible, and is able to set himself on fire to temperatures hot enough that it can melt through metal without harming him is just a bit out of my capabilities without the right equipment or team."

"So you ran away from kids," the woman in the red dress said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "What could the others do?"

"Well I could take care of Red, and her animal friends," Roman started while looking at his injured hand and cane. "But things quickly got out of hand when that puppet girl destroyed three bullheads on her own with her swords and laser."

"So you decided to run away from a bunch of kids?" the teen with gray hair said to Roman's face.

"If you think you could have done a better job be my guest," Roman snapped back but before it could escalate any further the woman in the red dress decided to end it there.

"No fighting you two," she said. "Well put this 'money maker' into thought but for now we need to continue with the Dust robberies for a little while longer."

With that they all went back to what they were doing beforehand. Roman was planning another set of robberies, and even he doesn't know what those three have in plan for what's to come. Only they knew what would be in store for Remnant. The only thing that everyone could do was prepare for the next day.

 **(Author's note: Well another chapter down. I hope that you all are enjoying this as much as I am writing this story. Again I thank each and every one of you for putting up with the bad grammar and storytelling for the first two chapters. And I also hope that the story got better from that point onward, because I started to take notes from professional books and other Fanfictions. Re-watching RWBY also helped to get a fresh reminder of how the characters should behave and speak.**

 **Again, thank you all for reading this story to this point.**

 **I hope that the next chapter will be better than the last.)**

 **==========|==SirArondight==|==========**


	6. Character Bio

**(Author's note: Two posts in two days? Is this really happening? Can we expect more of this to happen?**

 **To answer your questions in order: Yes, Yes and No.**

 **This is a long overdue Character Bio that this story needs for my character. Why? Well it's all in the story. A little bit in chapter 1, a little in chapter 4, a reveal in chapter 5 and it's everywhere and it's a mess.**

 **So this post will be dedicated to all about my OC. Enjoy.)**

 **Name:** Strom Teitsia

 **Age:** 18

 **Race:** Faunus (Fish faunus)

 **Height/ Weight:** 6'3"/ 195 pounds.

 **Appearance:** His skin has a slight tan complexion, his eye are red, and has short, spiky, grey hair. There are six gills on his neck that he covers up with a grey scarf. He chooses to protect his eyes by wearing a red band over them. He has a lean, athletic build. Recently he has earned a big scar on his chest and abdomen.

 **Clothes:** For casual wear, he wears grey shorts, with a red shirt and a grey sweatshirt with a hood if he gets cold, or just wants to wear it.

For his battle attire, he goes shirtless, wears black compression shorts and his white sarong.

 **Semblance:** Hell's Wrath- He combusts into flames and has complete immunity to fire damage and heat, if active. He can control the temperature of his flames and heat. He can use his flames to boost his attacks and even project flames outward giving him ranged capabilities. He tries to use it sparingly because it will cause damage to property and people around him.

 **Strengths:** He can be extremely quick and is agile when in combat or running. He is incredibly strong too, being able to break an alpha ursa's breastplate and ribcage with a single punch. He can continue to fight for a very long time and is able to endure pain very well. He takes fighting very seriously but doesn't want to harm everyone, so he can come up with plans on the fly to overcome his handicaps to himself. He has a way to see the world by pulsating his aura outward and view the world from a 200 range radius.

 **Weaknesses:** Strom does have his flaws that can get him into trouble; the biggest weakness is that he has a constant need for water every hour. If not met he can slowly loose his mind and sense of self. He becomes a sort of puppet if he has no water after 6 hours. Due to his blindness he can lose track of time very easily, he can read books and scrolls if he focuses his sense of sight giving up range of view. He also needs to focus intensely to view people and their appearance. He can become very distracted by music if he enjoys the sound of it. He is unaware of the current trends and changes since he has been in a faraway village since he was six.

 **Personality:** Strom is relaxed when around friends and family, but can be serious when needed. He can joke around a little, but can be a smartass when he wants to. He believes that faunus should be treated equally, but he does not believe that violence will help the issue. When he tries to help others with problems he tries to let them learn a lesson as well.

 **(Author's note: Well that's the bio all in one place. Yes, Chapter 6 is in progress as you read this and will be ready on Sunday, September 4** **th** **, my birthday, so I will make it extra special, like having that extra slice of cake. But time to start Chapter 6.**


	7. Chapter 6

**(Author's note:**

 **Well, I have turned 20… not old enough to drink. (Not like I want to drink alcohol. I hate the stuff.) But here is another installment of Fighting Fury.**

 **Enjoy the story.)**

Chapter 6

A new day has dawned for the students at Beacon; the sun was rising to wake the students and teachers. Some were already awake and active, others wanted to sleep in. Ozpin and some of the other teachers were in the lounge area prepping for the day. More importantly check their standings in the shipping wars

"Good morning Headmaster Ozpin," Doctor Oobleck said sipping his thermos. "Are you still ready to lose the war?"

"Not a chance," the headmaster replied. "I have placed my investments into it and I am sticking to it. There is no way that Strom and Blake would get together."

"And I agree with our headmaster," Prof. Port said happily while enjoying a sip of his strawberry-banana smoothie. "Besides we all know that it will be with Ms. Schnee that he will end up with."

"And how do you propose that?" Dr. Oobleck said rubbing his temples. "There is no foundation that they have to even start a relationship. They will just be friends and nothing more."

"That may be true but anything can happen when it comes to people," the portly professor made his stand. "All you have is that Blake like fish and that Strom is a fish faunus."

"Indeed that's right, but there is a lot more chemistry between them then there is with Weiss," Oobleck argued. "Strom was able to comfort Blake when she knew that he had gotten injured because of her."

"Yeah," Port started to stumble trying to find his words. "But then what about-"

"About what? The time that Weiss, Blake, and Strom got into their argument and Blake left?" Oobleck interrupted. "Don't try to use the 'they got a better bond out of the experience' excuse, because we might as well throw Ruby and Yang into the mix."

"About that, why is Yang in the run?" Port asked Ozpin. "Why do you think that she could end up with Strom?"

"Let's just call it a hunch," Ozpin said as he took a long sip from his mug. "Anyways, Glynda, are you sure you don't want to take any part of this."

"I do not want to partake in such immature and childish bets," Glynda said with agitation clearly in her voice. "Please don't try to drag me into whatever this is."

"Okay I respect that," Ozpin said taking another sip from his mug. "Excellent job on the coffee again, Glynda."

"Thank you," she said while walking out the room. "Now as much as I would love to stay here, I have classes to teach."

"Yes indeed," Oobleck said standing up from his seat. "Well, history doesn't teach itself."

"As does taking down grimm," Port said with a hearty chuckle. "Well it's been nice talking with you Headmaster, have a good day."

"I hope the same for you all as well," Ozpin said as he stood up to head to his office.

' _I hope that Strom is ready for the day along with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake.'_ He thought to himself.

"I am not ready for this," Yang said as she dragged herself out of bed. "Can't I sleep in for a while longer?"

"No, because we have finals today," Weiss answered looking over her notes. "If one of us does not pass all of our classes, we won't be able to have fun over the break if we have to stay here for classes over break."

"As much as I think that studying is important, I really think that we have a good grasp on what we know," Strom said while looking at a book of history for Oobleck's test. "Anyways Yang, do you want to hear Prof. Port drone on his stories once more today or nearly every day over break?"

"Well sleep can wait, let's go," Yang said knowing that listening to Port more than once is not fun to talk about over break.

As the day went on, team RWBY and JNPR took tests of their classes. Prof. Port's was a simple test going over Grimm, Dr. Oobleck's history exam was easier due to the study sessions that they did over the week, Prof. Peachs' exam was about outdoor survival, where Jaune had a hard time with herbs. Everyone had a finals sparring session with each other when they had Miss Goodwitch. At the end of the day both teams were tired but excited, since the tests were over.

"Man, I didn't think that Prof. Port would stop telling his boring stories," Strom said relieved that he doesn't have to hear them anymore over break. "Well, I think I'll make something."

"Oh what are you making?" Ruby asked excited and curiously. "Maybe something sweet?"

"Well, I guess it wouldn't harm to have something sweet tonight," Strom said starting to think of ideas. "Oh I know the perfect idea."

"What is it?" Weiss asked.

"Something unexpected, something that has fruit, something that needs to get started now," Strom said as he rushed out of the room to get started.

"Well that was a thing," Yang said after seeing him rush out quickly. "So, what should we do over break for rest and relaxation?"

"We could always stay here and train more," Weiss said when she clearly didn't sound too excited about the idea. "Or we could head out somewhere and have fun."

"What like the beach?" Blake said off the top of her head. "I don't think that would be in our budget. Well actually we can, but I don't want to be the one who pushes that on you Weiss."

"That's not a bad idea, but I think that we can find a public beach to crash at," Ruby said thinking about the water. "It's more cost efficient that way."

"Wow I didn't think your sister would be so keen about that idea," Weiss said thinking about what Ruby just said.

"Well that's Ruby for you," Yang said hugging her sister tightly. "She's so smart."

"Yang," Ruby grasped for air. "Can't…. Ugh…. Breathe."

"So the beach is going to be happening in the future?" Blake asked making sure that the beach was in planning. "Because if so, I need to go get a suit."

"Well, then I guess that-" Weiss started before being shut out by Yang and Ruby.

"SHOPPING TRIP," the two sisters squealed in excitement.

"Oh it's been so long that we've gone swimming," Ruby said grinning while thinking about the waters. "Oh, where should we go?"

"Oh I have just the right area for the beach," Yang said looking at the maps on her scroll. "I think that there was a nice cove somewhere around here that has easy access for the public."

"So I just saw Strom heading into the kitchen with eggs and cherries," Sun said knocking on the door. "What's up it that?"

"He's making something sweet," Ruby said next to Yang looking at her sister's scroll. "Maybe a pie, I don't know."

"Well I hope that it's not fattening," Weiss stated crossing her arms with a frown. "We all have to maintain our fitness levels."

"Says the one who eats a salad for lunch," Yang said with a smile. "Oh this area is nice, The Sunset Cove. That has a romantic feel to it."

"Oooh, maybe we should invite Jaune and everyone else along with us," Ruby suggested. "It would be more fun."

"Yeah and I will have to avoid Jaune all the while," Weiss huffed annoyed with Jaune's past attempts to ask her out on a date. "I swear I don't know why he keeps trying to ask me out. I don't want to have anyone try and ask me out for my money and status."

"Well have you actually talked to him instead of how you treated me when we first met?" Ruby said remembering how Weiss is around new people.

"Well of course I have," Weiss said with pride. "I know that his name is Jaune Arc."

"Okay besides the obvious facts, what do you know about him?" Blake decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Yeah, what do you know about him, huh, Ice Queen?" Sun joined in the questioning.

"Err, well…. I…. know that he has a fascination with me." Weiss tried to find out what she really knew about Jaune, but after seeing how everyone else was not looking impressed. "Okay fine, I don't know anything about him."

"Maybe you should give him a chance to talk to you," Yang suggested. "And don't be so immature about it."

"What, me immature, surely you jest?" Weiss was shocked about what she just heard. "How have I been immature about our meetings?"

"Well you did freeze him when you both tripped over each other and he was on top of you," Ruby said remembering trying to chisel Jaune out of his icy imprisonment.

"He asked for it," Weiss said trying to defend herself from seeming so harsh. "I still think that he did it on purpose."

"He was still apologizing when we got him out Weiss," Blake added.

"Okay so we bring JNPR, great," Yang said deciding for everyone. "So getting back on track, when do we want to leave for the cove?"

"Three days at least," Blake said after everyone gave some thought about it. "It would give us some time to prepare for the trip, for example food, drinks, a place to stay, swimsuits, and other essentials."

"Sounds good to me," Sun said trying to sneak into the group outing. "We deserve this outing."

"Who said that we're going to bring you along?" Weiss asked raising her eyebrow.

"Who said that I couldn't come along?" he argued.

"Enough the both of you," Ruby said without anger. "Sun you can come with us on the trip, Weiss we will make sure he doesn't act up."

"Sounds good," Sun said leaving. "I'll go start packing and let my team know about it."

"Well, shall we all head out tomorrow for shopping?" Yang asked.

"That sounds good and Strom can go food shopping since he already has his swimsuit," Weiss said getting ready for a shower. "And Yang, try to be a little modest please."

"Awe, but that's the fun part," Yang complained. "Giving guys a little imagination as they see their eye candy, always makes me laugh when they realize that they don't have any hope."

"Yang that sounds…. sadistic of you," Blake said sitting down onto her bed and bringing out a book. "Well off to Book-land."

"Yang, I'm going to see what Strom is cooking," Ruby said as she was leaving out the door. "Ok have fun bye."

"Wait Ruby," Yang rushed to the door but her sister was already out of sight. "Oh well, she'll be back and then we can talk about how classes went."

' _Hello beautiful,'_ Yang thought as she looked at her bed with eyes that any man would say yes to. _'I was thinking maybe we could begin where we left off. I was thinking maybe an hour or two, what do you have to say?'_

"Yang, stop looking at your bed as if you were a sexual predator," Blake said with slight aggravation. "I can feel your gaze from Book-land."

"Fine," Yang sighs as she got into her bed and was ready for a nap. "Can you please wake me up when it's dinner? Please and thank you."

"Fine," Blake said as she continued reading her book.

Fifteen minutes later Strom comes into the dorm holding Ruby by her hood. She was wrapped in her cape again, except this time she is curled in a ball. He places the red reaper on her bed and heads back out.

"Should I even ask?" Blake asked trying to figure out why Ruby was trapped in her cape again.

"Rule one of Strom's kitchen; do not break equipment," Ruby said in a daze.

"Did you not bother to clean up after you ate?" Blake asked seeing red substance around her leader's mouth.

"Rule two of Strom's kitchen; do not eat cherries unless permission is given," Ruby said with fear in her voice this time.

"Just remember to clean up before dinner," Blake said as her scroll got received a notification from Strom.

*Hey, don't let Ruby out of her imprisonment for about 30 minutes. That will give me time to start over…*

"Can you let me out, Blake?" Ruby said looking at Blake with puppy eyes. "I promise that I will behave."

"Hmm, no," Blake answered while looking at her scroll as it got another notification from their male teammate.

*Also do not look at Ruby if she wants out of her trap, that's why I'm still cleaning up the mess I gotten into.*

"Why is Ruby trapped inside of her cape again?" Weiss asked after stepping outside the bathroom.

"Just read this and you'll get the idea." Blake just said showing the messages.

"Oh, well I guess that I'll read to pass time by," Weiss said grabbing a book off the shelf.

When dinner time came around Ruby had been freed and cleaned up. Both teams RWBY and JNPR had their meals and Strom brought out dessert, a pineapple up-side-down cake. Everyone was able to have at least one piece of the cake, before Nora ate the rest of the cake. Both the teams laughed and had fun before turning in for the night.

When the teams woke up, and got to the main city of Vale, they split into two groups, boys and girls. The girls were going shopping for their choice of swimsuits, while the guys would shop for food for their stay at the cove.

"It's a shame you won't be able to see the girls Strom," Sun said looking around for coolers. "It's going to nice looking at them."

"I can see you know, not with my eyes but I have my way," Strom said calmly. "Anyways, Ren what do you recommend for drinks?"

"Well I think that everyone would need an herbal remedy for-" Ren started before being cut off by his leader.

"Ren, we are not poisoning anyone with the green slime you call a health shake," Jaune said with a look that was talking from experience.

"Fine, an assortment of juices and teas, along with water," Ren sighed.

"Okay, so that is done now we can get out of here and maybe look at some shorts for swimming for ourselves," Strom said. "I already have a pair but it's nice to have a backup pair in case of…. emergencies."

"What, like you losing your pair in the water?" Sun asked and teased at the same time. "I'm going to laugh if that happens to anyone."

"Yeah, you might want to be careful about what you say, it could haunt you," Ren said sagely.

"I hope that it won't happen to me," Jaune said in fear, because he was already thinking about the image that would bring. "I don't think I could live after that."

"Don't worry Jaune, I don't think that will happen to anyone," Strom said trying to comfort his friend. "That's why I suggest getting extra pairs, just to prepare for it in case it does."

"What do you think that the girls are up to?" Sun asked.

"Hmm, probably just talking about the trip and how excited they are for it," Strom said looking at some bread. "Maybe, they're taking their time with their swim wear?"

"Oh Yang, look at this one," Ruby said looking at a one-piece swimsuit with red frills and a rose near the waist of the suit. "Does this look like it would fit me well?"

"Oh my, Ruby if you put that on I don't think it would be good for my health," Yang said thinking how Ruby would look perfect in the outfit. "Find your size, and you're set to go unless you find something else."

"Okay then," Ruby said finding her size and skipping to the register.

' _Alright Xiao Long, what are you going to find that will fit who you are,'_ Yang thought to herself as she continued to look through the outfits. _'This one is too revealing, Weiss would have a moment with that. This one's seems… outdated for the times.'_

"Oh, but this one's just right," she said smiling at her choice, then proceeding to the checkout.

"Weiss you will look like a fish in that outfit," Blake said upon seeing the heiress' choice of swim wear.

"Well at least mine doesn't look like a black bar over my chest and waist," the heiress playfully shot back. "I must say Pyrrha; your one piece suit fits you with the red coloring."

"Thank you, but I think Nora's is better suited, along with Ruby's," Pyrrha said looking at the two.

"Awe, thanks Pyrr-pyrr, I just hope that we have some good food while we're there," Nora said as bubbly as usual.

"Well, with Strom and Ren in the kitchen, I don't think that we'll be disappointed," Yang said coming out of the store. "So, we all set and ready to go?"

"Alright let's pick up the guys and head back to Beacon to pack," Ruby declared as she rushed ahead the others."

"Wait for us Ruby," Weiss shouted as everyone tried to catch up to the red reaper.

After a little time had passed the group was able to meet up again and head back to Beacon. As soon as they we're all packed and set to go, Jaune wanted to ask Strom something.

"Who could be at the door?" Weiss asked herself as she got up to answer the knocking. "Jaune, what do you want?"

"Hey, I was wondering if-," Jaune started before Weiss cut him off.

"No," she said not giving Jaune a chance to speak. "Jaune, I'm sorry that I have to be this way towards you, but you give me no other choice."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked in confusion. "I just wanted to ask Strom for a spar."

"Oh, then… Jaune I'm sorry for the way I have treated you," Weiss apologized while bowing her head slightly down. "I hope that you can find a way to forgive me."

"Weiss it's fine, really," Jaune said smiling and shuffling back a little. "Can you let him know that I will be at the arena waiting for him?"

"Okay, but Jaune do you honestly think that you will beat him?" Weiss asked making sure his head was screwed on straight.

"Yeah, I know that I won't win," Jaune said as he turns and walks away. "But that shouldn't keep me discouraged from thinking that I can't do it."

"I heard that Weiss," Strom said as he exits the bathroom. "I will accept his challenge."

Jaune and Strom met up in the arena in the afternoon. All of their friends were going to spectate and judge the match.

"You sure you don't want to give up now?" Strom asked his challenger. "No one will hold it against you."

"True, but I want to see how far I can get with one of the best fighters in the first year," Jaune said with confidence.

"Good to hear," Strom said while taking his stance. "You may have the first move."

Jaune rushed Strom making a sweeping strike towards the legs of his opponent. Strom jumped and tried to punch Jaune, but his punch only hit the shield. He then tried to hit the shield away with a flurry of punches and kicks. Seeing that his assault was having no effect, Strom grabbed the shield and threw it and Jaune over his shoulder. Jaune landed on his back with a thud.

"Ow, that one stings a bit," Jaune said to himself. "Now, how do I get a hit on him?"

An idea came to Jaune's mind, he rushed Strom and slashed at his friend and as Strom stepped to the right of the sword he was bashed by the shield. Jaune took the opportunity and struck Strom in the ribs with his sword, and then jabbing at his friend's chest with his shield two times. Jaune wasn't done yet as he pushed Strom down onto the ground and pointed his sword to his downed opponent's chest.

"I think this is checkmate Strom," Jaune said as everyone else was trying to close their mouths, in shock about what just happened. "And I think that this is my first win."

"Well congratulations on getting me down," Strom started as the air temperature rose. "But don't think that you won just yet."

Jaune looked down to see that there was a circle of red on the ground glowing brighter. His instincts screamed for him to get out of the area. He just barely got out when flames erupted from the circle. He looks back to see Strom is on fire, like a wildfire.

"So, that is your semblance," Pyrrha said fanning herself trying to keep cool.

Strom ran to Jaune and grabbed his shield and held onto it, heating it up. Jaune quickly dropped the shield when he couldn't bear the heat anymore. Strom then punched Jaune around the stomach and after that he kicked Jaune in the chest knocking him down to the ground and sliding on his back for ten feet. Strom focused his flames and heat to wrap around only his right hand as it made into a fist, he rushed the downed knight threw his fist and stopped. Jaune opened his eyes to see a fist that was on fire but had a gentle heat to it. It was then replaced by an open hand without any flame to it.

"Well done, Jaune," Strom said with a bright smile. "I had fun with that spar, how about you?"

"Yeah, I had fun when I was beating you for a moment," Jaune said a little disappointed about his loss. "But I knew from the beginning that I was going to lose."

"It's not about who won or lost Jaune, this was a spar," Pyrrha said walking with the others towards Jaune. "Everyone at one point had lost thought as they saw you beat Strom down a little. Even to the point where you had him in a very tough position."

"I can even add the fact that I had to use my semblance to win, and not a lot of people can say that they have gotten me to that point," Strom said boosting the blonde knight's mood.

"Well, now I can't wait to relax alongside the beach and listen to the waves," Jaune said glad that he was around his friends.

"I think it would be best to end the day and prepare for tomorrow to come," Ren said with the faintest sign of a smile.

"Well I think that it's a good time to get dinner in before bed," Strom said as he was heading out.

"But it's only five-o'clock," Ruby interjected causing Strom to stop and think.

"Oh, and they don't start serving until six," Strom said realizing his mistake. "Well I guess a nap will do."

"I like that idea," Yang said with a smirk. "It has been a day of excitement."

"Maybe a Slumber party can be set up before we go?" Ruby asked thinking about her idea.

"I'm up for that," Strom said excited. "This will be a first for me in a very long time."

"Well, it will be my first ever," Weiss said thinking about the idea thoroughly. "What happens at a slumber party?"

Their night went on with dinner, movies, laughter and fun. At the end of the night

Yang wanted to start a game of truth or dare but no one else seemed interested.

"Maybe when we're at the beach Yang," Strom said with the only thing on his mind was sleep.

They all went to sleep in team RWBY's dorm room for the night and the next day had to be met early to get the best spot of the beach. When they woke up at six in the morning, most of everyone had an easy time of getting up. The exceptions were Blake, Nora, Yang, and the Ice Queen herself. Nora and Blake were woken up with the promise of food, while Weiss was woken up by Ruby. Yang just kept on sleeping through the whole thing.

"Should we wake her up?" Jaune asked. "We'll be late if she doesn't get up soon."

"Jaune, the last time that she was rudely awakened she threw them out the window with one hand," Ruby said shivering at the memory. "If we wake her up now, we may have our day being spent in the hospital."

"But then we may not be able to find a nice spot on the beach," Pyrrha said concerned about the amount of people that may show up. "Perhaps we could carry her to the bullhead and that way she could still sleep."

"That's sounds like a great idea Pyrrha," Ruby said with sarcasm. "Who would like to volunteer to carry Yang to the beach?"

"I think that I can do that for everyone," Strom said sincerely.

"Strom, I was being sarcastic," Ruby said placing a hand on her forehead. "There's no possible chance that you… already have her on your back while she is asleep. Why and how?"

"Well, I'm using my semblance to keep her warm, as if she never got out of bed," Strom said. "Besides, we all know that Yang is a heavy sleeper during breaks and the weekend."

"And just how do you plan to explain it to her?" Ruby asked with a fierce gaze that would make anyone question their intentions.

"Well I would be honest with her as I would with anyone," Strom said confused about why Ruby suddenly got closer to his face. "Did you have a better idea?"

"No, but I am glad that you would be honest with her," Ruby said. "Well then, if we're all packed let's go."

"Ruby, are you forgetting something?" Weiss asked her leader. "Maybe your bag or something? Take the hint please."

"Oh yeah, I need that," Ruby said tiredly.

The teens made it onto the bullhead and were on their way to the beach. Yang woke up during the ride and was embarrassed upon learning how she ended up onto the airship. After that everyone got in an hour nap, except for Strom, he kept the pilot company while they flew. When they all landed at the area they needed to be, everyone ran for the beach, the pilot took off after learning when to return by.

"Wow the waters are clear, the sand is starting to warn up, there's no one around right now," Yang said taking in a deep breath. "What a wonderful way to start a day."

"It is a wonderful way," Nora said bouncing up and down. "Let's get changed and rock the waves."

"Alright, I have been waiting to show this off," Yang said with a happy smile as she walks away humming to herself.

"Hmm I wonder why she is so excited." Strom said to himself as he went to get changed.

"Knowing Yang, it's probably something flamboyant," Ruby said following her sister.

They all got changed and prepared for their time in the sun. They planned to play volleyball, and sculpt art out of the sand. All they had to do is wait for Yang and her reveal of her outfit.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Yang said in an overly flamboyant voice. "I present to you, Yang Xiao Long.

Yang stepped into the light and revealed what she had to her friends. A white two-piece swimsuit and a yellow sarong tied at her waist. The bikini bottom had strings to tie at the sides, while the bikini top covered a good portion of her chest to most of everyone's surprise.

"So, how do I look?" Yang asked. "Stunning, beautiful, sexy?"

"You look fine Yang now come on, the beach won't wait for us," Weiss said showing no signs of being impressed. Everyone soon left knowing that Yang was ready, everyone except for Strom.

"Awe, did no one care Strom?" Yang looked to the one person who stayed and hoped that she would get some form of reaction from someone. "Do you like the outfit Strom?"

"Yang, no matter what you do, or what you put on, you will always look very lovely," Strom said facing Yang. "And I don't say that just because I want to be nice, I say it because I know it's true."

"Awe, that's so sweet of you," Yang said looking at the only male of her team. "Seven out of ten."

"What?" he asked confused about what she said. "Seven out of ten what? Fish, stars, Ozpins, GRIMM? Is there grimm in the area? I hope that I don't sense any, but I guess that's what you get when you're focused on something beautiful, Strom."

"Wait what did you say?" Yang asked because Strom spoke like Oobleck for a moment. "Slow down and-."

"There's no time to lose," He said rushing off to scan the area. "Yang, tell the others I'm scanning for grimm. Thank you."

"Okay, I guess," she said watching him run off. "He really is sweet about what he says."

The teens had a blast as they played volleyball, splashed through the water, built sand castles and sculptures of whatever they thought of, and Yang just relaxed in the water. Strom had gotten back from his quick patrol around the area.

"Okay, the good news is that there is no grimm in the area," Strom panted due to all of his running. "The bad news is that I am tired so I'm just going to-."

 _ **Splash!**_

Yang had brought a huge splash of water onto Strom's back and head. She laughed and ran towards Ruby.

"You'll what, take 'splash' damage?" Yang said as she just laughed. "You'll get 'drowned' out by the sound of the waves?"

"No, I was going to say 'take a rest'," Strom started as his hand shook. "But I think that I will fight back instead."

"Uh-oh, you'll take it easy with us right?" Yang asked nervously.

"Nope," Strom said false rage while popping the 'p'. "I'll be gentle for everyone else but you have incurred my wrath."

"OH NO, RUN," Ruby said making a dash to safety behind Nora's sloth sand sculpture. "Oh queen of the castle, there is a sea creature that is causing havoc upon the sloth kingdom."

"What?" Nora said with a grin. "Then we will hunt it down and break its legs. Come on Ren, we have to protect the kingdom."

They all had a great time getting some rest and relaxation from school and criminal fighting. As the day drew to a close Yang tried again with truth or dare, but no one seemed to be really interested in the game. After dinner Strom decided to ask Yang something.

"Hey Yang, I am up for the game of truth or dare if you're still up for it," Strom said looking at the blonde boxer. "Can you teach me the rules of how to play?"

"Well it's kind of impractical with two people, but I suppose that it should be okay," Yang said still a little downtrodden that no one else would play the game. "We'll keep it simple. What we ask each other is 'Truth or Dare' and if I say 'Truth' then you can ask me a question about me that I have to answer truthfully, but if I say 'Dare' then you can challenge me to whatever you can think of. Do you get it?"

"I think I do," Strom said processing the information he was just given. "Okay, since you taught me, I think you should go first."

"Alright Strom, truth or dare?" Yang asked knowing the answer already.

"Truth," he responded.

' _Called it,'_ She thought to herself. "Okay, what is the name of the village that you grew up in?"

"The name of the village is Aria," Strom answered.

"Can we visit one day?" Yang kept the questions up wanting to learn more.

"We can but I would have to ask that we don't get in with an airship," Strom replied. "Okay I believe that it is my turn. Yang, truth or dare?"

"Mmm, I'm feeling truth right now," Yang said waiting for what his question would be.

"Ruby seemed to be really fierce when she asked about my honesty when I carried you. May I ask why?" Strom asked curious to learn more about his teammate. "If you don't feel comfortable answering, I completely understand."

"Well back when I was in Signal, a lot, and I mean 'A LOT' of guys asked me out. However they all saw me as a trophy, not because of 'who I am' and 'what makes me tick'."

"I am sorry to hear that," Strom said with some sadness to his tone. "I think that it is your turn again."

"Right, truth or dare?" Yang asked her friend once again.

"Dare," Strom said with a smile.

"Okay, I dare you to let me feel your gills," Yang said with a smile, thinking that he would give up right there and quit.

"Umm, okay that's fine by me, just don't try to pick me up like a fish by my gills," he agreed to Yang's surprise.

"Umm, I was messing around Strom, you don't have to let me go that far," Yang said getting nervous upon seeing his gills moving and work.

"It's fine I won't feel any pain from it, but just done stick your fingers inside because it will be hard to breathe through the gills," he informed her.

"Wait, don't you have lungs?" Yang asked reaching her hand closer to his neck.

"I do have lungs and gills," Strom said happily. "I also have an air sac to hold air or if I need to float up quickly or if my gills don't work."

"Oh, well here I go," Yang said finally placing her hand on his neck and feeling his gills carefully. It was slightly moist and like a regular fish that she caught when she was younger. "Wow, it's just like a normal fish."

"Indeed it is," Strom said remembering the feeling of his own gills.

"Well I think that's enough," Yang said finally moving her hand and herself away from Strom. "We should start thinking about going back soon."

"You're right," Strom said. "People might start to think that we disappeared if we don't show up soon."

"I think that's the least of our problems," Yang said seeing the looks of everyone.

They all had discussed about Strom and Yang's outing together and learned that nothing suspicious had actually happened. The bull head arrived and the teams and friends just talked amongst each other for the trip back to Beacon. When they arrived back at the academy they all went right to bed. They had a few days before the new semester begins and they would need the time to prepare for what was yet to come.

 **(Author's Note:**

 **Yeah I was hoping that this chapter would be a little bit special but unfortunately I was subjected to writer's block for most of the week. So I deeply apologize for those who were disappointed by how the chapter came out.**

 **Hopefully next week's chapter will be a lot better than what I have put up today.**

" **Thank you for reading this story so far, I truly appreciate your time.")**

 **==========|==SirArondight==|==========**


	8. Chapter 7

**(Author note:**

 **Well my first words are 'Thank you'.**

 **Seriously though, this story has grown to 16 followers and 12 favorites. Now the number may seem small now, but I am fine with that. We all start somewhere, and all we can do is to continue to write for the readers.**

 **Now I want to create and show artwork for this story, however… I am awful at drawing. So I will have to see if I can find someone who would be willing and have time to draw it out.**

 **I think that last chapter was a little weak in my opinion. Hopefully this one will be better. I blame myself and writer's block for that. Anyways, it is time to start Volume Two of RWBY. Enjoy the story!)**

Chapter 7

Strom had woken up nicely for the morning. He went to the training room to beat on robot trainers, and learned that they had nothing to offer him in advice. When he finished he went to the gym and completed his daily routine of workouts, and went back to his dorm to wash up for the day. He still wanted to get his book that just came out now. It is a romance novel that he had been excited to get, unfortunately Ruby wanted to gather her team and friends over where they sit at lunch to discuss something. On his way to the lunch room, he saw Cardin and his team talking to Velvet normally.

"Hey Cardin, what are you up to?" Strom asked the bulky teen.

"Eh, nothing special," Cardin replied with a smile. "We were helping Velvet with some boxes and books for Prof. Oobleck."

"I think that it's actually 'doctor' Oobleck," Sky Lark said from the side.

"Oh, well then I guess that I will try to remember that," CRDL's leader said. "Anyways, I still need to thank you again for that save back at the Forever Fall Forest."

"Oh Cardin, come on," Strom said with a smile. "You kept on thanking me and Jaune for the past few months. You already are paying off your debt by cleaning you and your team's act right away and now look at you all. Friends with a lot more people now."

"Still we should be thankful for what you done for us," Dove said. "I honestly like how things are now than how they were."

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Strom said with a smile. "Anyways, I have to meet up with my team so it's been nice catching up with you all."

"Take care Strom," Velvet said while they all departed from each other.

Strom finally made it to the cafeteria for Ruby to get started on what she wanted to do before the beginning of the semester. She had something big planned when she placed that huge white binder that was clearly filled with paper.

"Is that my binder?" Weiss asked after looking at what binder Ruby just placed down.

"I am not a crook," Ruby said giving the peace sign with both of her hands. "Sister, friends, Blind fire, Weiss,-"

"Hey," both Strom and Weiss said after noticing how she singled them out.

"- Four score and seven minutes ago I had a vision of how we can start this semester off with a bang," Ruby narrated as if she were a leader of a country with a really big hat.

"None of us had been around long enough for a score," Strom said quietly. "Not even a chance to be around for four of them."

"I always start my semesters off with a 'Yang'," Yang joked, giving everyone a chance to groan, except Strom, he was laughing. "Ah it's good to see that someone has a sense of humor."

"Well, Ruby, as much as I would like to stay around and be a part of this 'vision' of yours, there is a book that I had my eye on for a while and it just got out, so I was hoping that I could get the book and then join in on the scheduled fun before the semester begins," Strom said letting his team know what he would be doing if they approved.

"Awe, fine," Ruby pouted for a moment until her eyes shined and she smiled mischievously. "But I want a dozen cookies. Yang, Blake, Weiss, do you want anything from this?"

"Well, a new Binder wouldn't hurt," Weiss called out. "Since my last one was used for 'someone else'."

"There is a new book out that I want as well," Blake said calmly, as if she were trying to keep attention away from her. "I'll send you the details on the scroll."

"Okay, so Blake will ask for smut," Yang said while Blake glared at her partner. "All I ask is for something that will get a party started."

"Yang no," Ruby, Blake and Weiss said at the same time.

"Yang yes," Yang responded with a grin. "Hey Strom, if you can get me a Strawberry Sunrise, I can give you a 'fun time'."

"Umm, okay, I can do that for everyone," Strom said as he starts to walk out of the lunchroom as he thinks to himself. _'What does she mean by that? A 'fun time', oh maybe it will be a fun spar, or a punch-off, or even a chance to learn what is cool and uncool.'_

"Yang," Blake just said in shock that Strom was going to get Yang's item. "What do you mean by a 'fun time'?"

"What do you think I mean by that?" Yang said getting serious. "I would just show him around the town and hopefully catch him up on what's new and hot."

"Okay wouldn't it have been easier to say that instead of leading him on?" Weiss asked concerned about what was going to happen.

"Relax, I trust Strom," Yang said. "Besides, he doesn't even know what a date means."

"Then why are you having him go out to get alcohol?" Ruby asked staring angrily at her sister.

"Who said that he would get alcohol?" Yang asked back towards her sister. "Like I said Ruby, I like my semesters to kick off with a 'Yang'."

"Boo," Nora said before throwing an apple at Yang, hitting her on the nose.

"And I think I know how it will start if this keeps up," Yang said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Strom was walking towards Tuskon's Book shop for his last stop. He had already gotten ingredients for baking cookies, a binder for Weiss and strawberries for Yang. All he had was his book and Blake's 'romantic literary art' to get. Before he stepped inside, he sensed three people in there, one with a mint green aura, one with a gray aura, and the third had a dark blue aura. Even though he could read the sign that said closed, he walked in anyways.

"Hey can't you-," the male with the gray aura started before he saw the band over the eyes. "No you can't, can you?"

"Nope, I'm just here to pick up some books for friends," Strom responded to keep the charade that he could not read due to his blindness. "Are you the owner of this store?"

"I am Tuskon, the owner of this store," the man said nervously, watching the two behind Strom. "What can I help you find?"

"Well I was wondering why you are so nervous," Strom said facing Tuskon, speaking calmly. "Do you have a ride to catch soon?"

"Yes I do, so I do not want to be late for that," Tuskon answered calmly still looking at the two, knowing who they are. "Who are you getting books for?"

"Oh, the books are for my teammates at Beacon," Strom said looking forward and noticed that the mint green aura was moving closer to him. "I think that it's on my scroll."

"Wait but you can't-" the girl with the mint green aura spoke before Strom's scroll interrupted her.

*New message from Yang; Strom you're missing a lot of fun, we decided to start a food fight in the cafeteria. Now if you'll excuse me I have to force feed Jaune my turkey fists of deliciousness.*

"Okay, that's how it works," the girl said thinking about taking his wallet so that they could get what they needed done sooner. _'Well you can't pay for the books if you don't have your-'_

"What are you doing?" Strom asked facing the mint haired girl who had red eyes widen in shock.

"I was," she said stretching her words as she tried to find a way out of her situation. "Just looking at the name of where you got your strawberries from."

"Okay, I don't know why you would have to reach for my pocket for that," Strom said reaching for a strawberry and placing it in her hand that was still open. "I got them at the farmer's market, so they're fresh as they can be."

"Oh," She stated before getting a look from her partner and a buzz from her scroll. "Oh, hey Mercury, we need to head back 'now'. Our team leader is getting a little 'worried' of where we are."

"Darn, I was hoping that we might be able to get dinner for our date," Mercury said with a smirk that would rival with Cardin's.

"You know that is not how I think of you," the girl said angrily and disgusted by the thought. "Come on, let's go."

"Sure thing Emerald," Mercury said opening the door. "You know that you want me."

There was a good pause of silence as Strom noted that they had left and turned back to Tuskon, who was looking relieved.

"Kid I don't know who you are but I just want to thank you," Tuskon said. "So how about I let you have your books for free."

"While that would be nice, I think that I should pay for them," Strom said confused as to why there was such a change of mood from Tuskon.

"It's fine, really," the man said. "Just name the two books and they're yours."

"Well if you insist," Strom said reading his scroll. "I need a book called The Princess Bride and a book called Ninjas of Love: Hardcore Edition."

"Okay coming right up-" Tuskon said before something clicked. "Wait, I though you couldn't read."

"Surprise," Strom simply said. "You have no idea how many times I have heard that by now."

"Well I guess I won't continue then," Tuskon said as he grabbed the two books. "So who is reading what?"

"I will be reading The Princess Bride," Strom said happily then getting a little bit disgusted. "The 'other' one is for my friend who needs to stop reading this kind of material."

"Again, I will not continue to ask," Tuskon said placing the books in a bag. "Again thanks for the help."

"I don't even know what I did," Strom said leaving the book store.

When Strom got back to the lunchroom to see how the food fight was going, he was met with benches, tables broken, the entire room looking like a tornado had blown through and a hole in the roof.

"I love these guys," Sun said before an angry Glynda and a calm Ozpin walked through the doors, fixing everything that was broken.

"Children please, do not play with your food," Prof. Goodwitch said as Yang came crashing through the roof for again.

"Relax, Glynda they're just children," Ozpin said grabbing her shoulder to try and ease her.

"They're supposed to be the protectors of Remnant," She argued with the headmaster.

"In due time they will be, but right now they're job is to be kids," Ozpin said turning around. "It's not one they'll have forever."

"Wait, what is that cloth on the flag pole?" Strom asked pointing to the white cloth that was stained, stretched and splattered with soda and condiments.

"Oh well Ruby said that each team should have a white flag for surrendering," Nora said happily bouncing from the epic food fight that happened. "So I went into our dorms to find something that would make a white flag, so I grabbed Jaune's white jacket, and your little waist wrap thingy and we-"

"That's my sarong?" Strom shouted loudly getting very upset and his fist clenched and shaking. "And none of you stopped her because?"

"We were getting bombarded by Jaune's peas and Nora's soda cans," Ruby said trying to defend everyone from what was about to happen. "So it was an accident, I'm sorry."

Strom was quiet for a while just standing there contemplating on what he should do. He learned that Sun and his friend had nothing to do with the food fight so he would leave them be. However for everyone else, that would be a different story.

"You all have a thirty second head start before I mangle all of you," Strom said coldly as he smashed his palm into his open hand creating a shockwave that boomed loudly.

"When does that start?" Jaune asked curiously and stupidly.

"Five seconds ago," Strom answered as he kept counting in his head.

"RUN, HE'S GOING TO BLOW," Ruby shouted as everyone bolted out of the room except for Ozpin and Glynda. Yang swiped the soiled cloth as she ran towards the door behind Strom.

' _Hiding will be pointless,'_ Strom thought to himself. _'I may be blind, but my sight is better than everyone else's.'_

"Should we do something about that?" Glynda asked pinching the bridge of her nose. "We may have some students who may never walk again if he is that mad."

"Glynda there are many mistakes that I have made," Ozpin said calmly. "Trying to stop Strom is plain asking for a broken limb. Please do not ask of how I know, I just want to forget the images."

"Why do I get the feeling that you fear him?" The blonde professor asked the headmaster who had his eyes closed.

"I do not fear him, Glynda, I respect what he can do," Ozpin said taking a cup and filling it with coffee. "I know that he will not harm his friends or teammates."

"I'm hunting now," Strom said rushing past the teachers and out the doors. The air was hot like a summer day.

Weiss only had fear for a select few of people and things: Jaune, Nora when she has too much sugar, her father and her sister, the White Fang, Grimm, failing a class, and Yang when someone messes with her hair. Strom had just extended that list when she knows that his semblance makes him a human weapon forge. She decided to try and hide in near the garden.

' _He never said that he could see through other life or walls, so he shouldn't be able to see me-'_

"There you are Ice Queen," Strom whispered into her ear.

Ruby and Blake were running towards the library when they heard Weiss's scream.

"Oh no, Weiss, don't leave me," Ruby pleaded as she heard the scream.

"I'm sorry Ruby but she has been taken from us too soon," Blake gave her the bad news.

"NOOOOO," Ruby shouted. Then she received a message from Weiss.

*I have just gotten a jump scare from Strom. And he was wearing a Grimm mask.*

"Okay looks like he's not killing us, that's good and- Blake where are you?" Ruby asked as her friend disappeared out of thin air. "Hmph, fine I didn't want to hide with you anyways.

Blake was in a dark room, after being tossed in by Strom. She tried to open the door but it was locked. Suddenly a projector comes on and shows books being burned to ash. Blake could only manage to read one title, Ninjas of Love.

"No," she cried out. "You monst-!"

Her cries were cut short as a red dot shined on the wall. Blake was trying to fight off the urge to try and get it but failed. She chased the red dot until she saw another one, then three more, then eight more. The room became red dots moving everywhere as Blake gave in to her instincts.

"Must catch red pixies," She cried out as she tried to grab every single dot.

Nora and Ren were running together towards their dorm room hoping that they could lock out Strom. As soon as they entered and locked the door they heard a voice behind them.

"Hello Ren, Nora," Strom said as the two teens Froze up. "Glad to see that you could make it."

"Nora," Ren said with fear in his eyes.

"Yes Ren," Nora responded quivering for her life.

"Hold me," was all Ren could say before they would take their punishment.

"I think you'll be doing more than just holding," Strom said eerily closing in on his prey. "I think that it's time for the two of you to be together-together. Oh, and Nora, time for a little 'healthy' solution to go against your sugar levels."

All Nora did was try to make a sloth sound. "Brrrrrah!"

"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like," Ren said before Storm jumped them.

Yang was in the laundry room cleaning her uniforms when velvet came in with a basket of her own.

"Hey Velvet," Yang greeted velvet with a smile. "Did you get hit in the crossfire of our food fight?"

"Well, yes and no I suppose," Velvet answered and Yang had a puzzled look about what she meant. "There was a stick of celery that landed on my head, but I think that no one meant it out of malice so I just threw it away."

"Well, sorry that you got in the crossfire Velvet. I'll try to make sure that next time won't be so… spontaneous," Yang said glad that Velvet wasn't hurt. "So are you doing just your laundry or your teams?"

"Well how we have it set up is that twice a week we get laundry done and we have a schedule for who's turn it is for that time," Velvet explained to Yang who was thinking about a schedule.

"Hmm, I don't think Weiss would appreciate any imperfections to her uniform, I want Ruby to learn how to take care of herself, so I think that just leave Blake, Strom, and myself to possibly share laundry loads together," Yang said after giving the idea some thought. "I'll talk to them after Strom gets done with his little rampage."

Velvet turned her head towards the blonde brawler. "Rampage? What are you talking about? Strom is one of the nicer people that I know."

"He is but well… just as someone messes with my hair, I go all out, and if someone messes with his… sarunge… he will kind of go all out as well," Yang informed her bunny friend. "And we may have gotten a stain on it… or two." Yang pulled out the cloth in question.

"Isn't it supposed to be white?" Velvet asked pulling out the whites of the basket. "I also remember him calling it a sarong… if that is the right way to pronounce it."

Yang placed the wrap in a hand wash bin that already had warm, soapy water. "Yeah, it's supposed to be white. I felt a little guilty as it was our fault that it got ruined." She said as she placed the uniforms in the wash. "So I'll clean it for him and give it to him when he is done."

"Well how far is he right now on his whole 'rampage' quest?" Velvet asked mocking a big, tough, strong man.

Yang looked down at her scroll to see Strom's latest work. "Well, he found Weiss first and gave her a jump scare that will last a little bit on her, posted a live stream of Blake chasing little red laser pointer dots in a dark room, and- Oh wow already has over ten thousand views and 1000 likes, but getting back on track his latest post said that 'Ren and Nora are together-together, whether or not Nora likes the green juice he found in the fridge." Velvet looks over Yang's shoulder to see what she was talking about.

"Yikes, I think Blake is passed out on the- oh nope she got up," Velvet said while looking back at her pile that needed to be done. "So is he going after everyone who was in the food fight or just your team and team JNPR?"

"Just our teams," Yang said waiting for the machine to be done. "I'm not even going to bother with trying to hide, because he will just find me by the color…" she trailed off from her sentence. "Maybe this could be my peace offering?"

Pyrrha and Jaune were in the sparring arena facing the only door that open. Jaune was trying to prepare himself for what is yet to come. He knew that Strom would easily put Jaune down if he was not careful. He had his weapons at the ready, alongside with Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha why are we hiding here?" the blonde knight asked. Continuing to look at the door then decided to face his partner. "Is it because if we have to do battle that this is the best spot for it?"

"That's one of the reasons that we're here," Pyrrha said while looking at Jaune now. "This place is open, so we have free mobility and Strom should not be able to get a surprise on us." She took a few steps back. _'As well as give me my moments with you alone, Jaune.'_

"Looks like he already got Nora and Ren along with Weiss and Blake," Jaune stated looking at his scroll. He started to walk towards Pyrrha when he stripped over his shoelace and fell on top of Pyrrha. Just as it all happened Strom entered the door to find an interesting sight. Jaune was over Pyrrha with his hands on her front assets.

"Oh, I didn't think that you two would be doing something like this," Strom said starting to walk out the door. "Uhh, just consider this a pass for now because I don't want to interrupt.

"Huh, Strom what are you talking about?" Jaune asked as he squeezed his hands a bit and hearing a slight moan. He looked down and heard the door close. "Oh Pyrrha, I am so sorry and… Wait Strom this isn't what it looks like." But his cries fell only onto Pyrrha's ears as she blushes hard.

"Jaune, it's fine," she stated trying to calm her panicking leader down. "Could you get up please? It's getting hard to breathe."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Jaune repeated over and over again.

Ruby was running down the halls when her scroll notified her of a message.

"Well looks like he got Jaune and Pyrrha. It's just down to me and Yang," Ruby said to herself as she looked at what happened. "Huh, what is Jaune doing to Pyrrha? OH MY-" Ruby shouted as she crashed into a student who was walking out of the bathroom. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here let me help you up." She extended her hand towards the person she knocked down.

"I very much appreciate that thank you Ruby," the student responded.

"You're welcome and how did you know my name?" She said and froze up to see whose hand she was holding onto.

"I know your name because you are a friend and a leader," Strom said grinning at his luck. "I thought that you would be the hardest to get but you just gave yourself up. That's very righteous of you. So, I think you know what happens next."

"I get to go free because you are a very forgiving person?" Ruby asked and hoped that he would be kind enough to let it go. "Come on Strom, let's go get that wrap of yours cleaned up."

"It's. A. Sarong." Strom said making sure that every word was clear as can be. His grip on her hand was firm but gentle. "I think that you need another time in you 'special' imprisonment."

Ruby laughed nervously because she knew what he meant. After all, it was how he beat her on his initiation day.

Yang had her laundry out and folded and was waiting on Strom's sarong to finish drying in the machine. She received a message on her scroll.

"Oh who is that?" Velvet asks still working on her team's laundry. "Did Strom strike again?"

Yang looked at the photo and just couldn't stop looking at it. "Yes he did. This time he got Ruby. I'm not going to lie, but she looks so adorable right now."

"Really, can I see?" Velvet asked working on the shirts and jackets. Yang waved her to come over and look. "Awe, that's so adorable, with her all pouty and puffing her cheeks like that. It makes me want to poke her cheeks and go squish." Velvet cooed at the photo that was taken by Weiss. Ruby had a sign on her cape that said "Do not open until Volume Four".

"Well, it's done. This sarong is ready to be given back and all of my clothes are cleaned up." Yang said feeling and looking proud of what she has accomplished. "Well I think that we should be good to go then."

"Do you think that he is still on his "rampage", because if he is you can ask us for help," Velvet said offering Yang her assistance.

"Nope," Yang said popping the 'p'. "I think that he was calmed down enough, and besides I think Blake has been in that room for far too long now. I also think that the viewer count is fake since it hasn't moved since I refreshed eight times now."

"You make a good point. Good luck on dealing with him if he is still in the mood," Velvet said returning to her work.

"Thank you," was the last thing Yang said to Velvet when she left the room.

Yang was walking down the hall to her dorm. She passed by Weiss, Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, Nora carrying their clothes that were messy from the food fight from today. Weiss looked fine since she got over her scare, fairly easily. Jaune and Pyrrha were both red as cherries, and they both kept saying "Sorry" to each other. Ren and Nora were an interesting case, they were bound together. Ren was tied to Nora's back and he had his legs bound to his chest, and Nora had her arms bound to her sides. The knot was strategically placed around Nora's leg, and she was also looking like she would be throwing up her lunch. Yang stopped and helped them out of their situation before it got worse.

Yang later found Blake crawling out of a room sweaty and breathing heavily.

"No more," Blake pleaded hoping that she would never have to see another red dot in her life.

"Wow Blake, it looks like you've been through a 'cat-tastrophe'," Yang smirked at her own pun that she made.

"Noooooo…." Blake groaned, trying to decide what was worse between her torment and Yang's puns.

"What's the matter? Are you not 'feline' it?" Yang continued to smirk as Blake just groaned and started to get up and walk back to the dorm in hopes for a shower. "At least Strom would appreciate these puns that I have."

Yang got back to the dorm room to find her sister still wrapped in her cape, struggling to get out of her trap.

"Yang, can you help me get out? It's getting really hot and stuffy being inside this," Ruby pleaded for help. "I can't believe that this is the third time he has done this to me."

"Well if you ask me Ruby," Yang said starting to get the smile that her sister recognizes very well.

"Yang. Don't. You. Dare," Ruby said knowing what would happen next. "You know that I can't stand 'them'. The only people who are willing to put up with it are dad and Strom."

"He has this situation all 'wrapped up'. Now that I think about it, he has all of his worries 'bundled up' together," Yang said her puns with a grin as her sister groaned and tried to shift herself away from Yang. "Awe, that's so adorable, come here I'll help you out."

"Thanks Yang," Ruby said looking at her sister. "I really appreciate this because I have to go to the bathroom, like now."

"And done, you're free," Yang said as Ruby just rushed past her trying to get to the restrooms."

"YaythankyouYangIloveyougottogotothebathroombye," Ruby said as she ran.

"Wow if she's going that fast she must have meant it," Yang said as the bathroom door opened and Blake got done with her shower. "Hey Blake, are you feeling better?"

"I feel cleaner now, but feeling better is a different situation," Blake responded tiredly. "So did Strom get you yet?"

"Nope, he didn't get me yet, or will be getting anytime soon," Yang said with triumph and confidence. "Who knows, maybe he'll be the one to cut my hair and not get beaten to a pulp. However the chances of that happening are very slim."

 _ **SNIP!**_

Yang's eyes went red when she heard the sound of scissors behind her. She turned around fast and saw Strom with a pair in one hand and in the other was a mirror. He held out the mirror to Yang.

"Do you want to check my work that I did to your hair?" He teased knowing how much she cared about her hair. "Yang, don't worry because the scissors are not for you."

"Good for you, No one messes with my hair except a select few," Yang stated calming down. "Now since you have found me, Strom, I want to give you something."

"Oh, and what is that?" Strom asked.

"Just someone's white sarong that I cleaned up for them," Yang said as she brought out the cloth and handed it to Strom. "Do 'you' know who it belongs to?"

"I believe this belongs to a guy who really appreciates the hard work that has been put into this clothing," Strom said then looked at Yang. "Thank you very much, I appreciate it."

"Ah, don't worry about it Strom. I know that it's is personal for you," Yang said then thinking about a question. "Actually, why do you care so much for it Strom?"

"It was a personal gift from Elder Trent from the village I trained and grew in," Strom said remembering how kind the Elders were to him.

"Oh he's from Aria?" Yang asked. "Was he close to you?"

"Oh like you wouldn't believe it," Strom said.

"I'm back. Did I miss anything important?" Ruby rushed inside.

"Yang cleaned up my Sarong for me. I thought it was nice of her," Strom said grabbing strawberries from the fridge. "Well, time to get started on cookies and the Strawberry sunrise."

"Ohh, what cookies are you making?" Ruby asked excitedly. "Are you baking chocolate chip cookies? Can I help out with baking?"

"Sure, just please wait and listen this time," Strom said giving Ruby a reason to raise her fist in triumph. "But do not eat the chocolate chips out of the bag, Ruby. You can have the rest of the bag when we have the cookies in the oven."

"Fine, that sounds fair to me," Ruby said happily. "Oh, and after this we can all play a board game called Conquer Remnant later, if you want to."

"That sounds nice Ruby, hopefully we can get everything done in a timely manner," Strom said as they start heading towards the kitchen.

"Don't forget my sunrise," Yang hollered at the two. "No ice and a little umbrella."

"Got it," Strom said waving at Yang as he continued to walk off.

"So what was the real reason why you cleaned his sarong Yang?" Blake asked lying on her bed out of exhaustion.

"What are you talking about Blake?" Yang looked over to her partner trying to figure out what she meant.

"Yang, I don't think that you would do this for anyone," Blake said as she pointed to Strom's sarong. "What do you think of him when you see him Yang?"

"Why are you asking about this Blake?" Yang asked then finally figuring out what her partner meant. "Blake, I was just helping out a friend."

"By doing their laundry for them," Blake said sitting up to face Yang. "It's something so small to do for them, don't you think?"

"Blake what are you getting at?" Yang asked sitting down on a chair.

"What I'm asking is what your feelings for him are?" Blake asked sternly.

"Well, I can't say that he isn't any good," Yang said after some time thinking. "However I just don't know if I can feel the same right now or will ever. Heck, I don't even think 'he' knows what those feelings are called."

"Maybe, but if you do have feelings for him you should let him know," Blake said lying back down on her bed. "Don't be like Pyrrha now. Before you ask or get the wrong idea she is looking at Jaune."

"Okay well that will save me an argument and possibly losing friends," Yang said worried as she thought to herself. _'Wait why am I worried about that? We're just friends, right? But then again, do I have feelings for Strom?'_

 **(Thanks for reading I hope you come back for the next installment of Fighting Fury.**

 **I'm a little surprised by the fact that I left off the story with a little cliffhanger. Well maybe that's not the right word. But I did leave it with a question.**

 **So yes, this will be a Yang x OC fanfiction. I'm sorry but this story has been in my head for over 5 months. So I have a good grasp of how I want this story to roll. However I have noticed a big issue, something so basic that I need to do over and over again.**

 **I need to re-watch RWBY…**

 **Yeah, but that's really the only obstacle in the way right now, and it's easy to take care of. So don't expect me to slow down because of it.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for your patience, here is the next chapter of Fighting Fury.**

Chapter 8: Rampage on the Highway

When Strom went to the library he was expecting a chance to read his book, not be playing a board game. Ruby thought it would be a good opportunity to play the game in a quiet environment. Everyone had a chance to have a chocolate chip cookie, thanks to Strom keeping Ruby away long enough. Ruby was a little upset because while she was in the kitchen she wanted to make a cake, unfortunately she got the wrong help.

"I still can't believe you manage to set the drapes on fire while I was away for FIVE minutes," Ruby complained to her partner. "You didn't even bother to help me clean up either."

"Well I'm sorry that I didn't know that the drapes would be so flammable," Weiss said defensively. "Besides, that oven was too cold to bake anything."

"Ruby what did you set the temperature at?" Strom asked his leader who was trying to take down the tyrant of Remnant whose name was Yang.

"I set it to 450," Ruby said playing her cards moving her pieces. "Just what the recipe asked for."

"What did you put it to Weiss?" Strom asked looking at the heiress who was trying to figure out what the cards in her hand mean.

"Oh, I think the number reached to 700," Weiss said after thinking about that time in the kitchen. "I still think that the cake butler would be a better person to ask for cake."

"I'm surprised you didn't burn the place down," Strom muttered before returning to the board in front of him. "I still don't understand any of this game. I think that Weiss has a better understanding of the game than I do."

"Well it does take some strategy to play this game," Weiss said proudly.

"Didn't you just attack your own army two turns ago?" Blake asked Weiss.

"I play Giant Nevermore," Yang called out triumphantly. "If I roll a seven or higher I wipe out half of your forces."

"But if you roll a six or lower the Nevermore will turn on your own forces," Ruby added to the tension between the siblings.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take," Yang said chillingly as she rolled. "Haha, looks like your done Ruby."

"No, my soldiers," Ruby sobbed at her defeat. "They had families to return to."

"I hate this game of emotions we play," Weiss cried out later after Yang demolished her forces.

"Sup losers," Sun said popping in from nowhere. "Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ice Queen, and let's not forget the Blind Master himself."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss asked everyone to figure out the reason.

"Well that's flattering of you Sun, but I'm no master… yet," Strom said facing the new blue aura person. "So who is next to you Sun?"

"Aren't libraries normally meant for reading?" the person said.

"Thank you," Ren shouted raising his arms up.

"Pancakes," Nora said in her sleep.

"Shut up, don't be a nerd," Sun said to his friend.

"Agh-geh-geh-geh, intellectual, okay. Thank you," his friend snapped back. "I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked suddenly interested.

"Haven," Neptune said strolling towards Weiss. "I don't believe that I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Um, I'm Weiss," She said getting flattered and blushing slightly towards the name.

"Are you kidding me?" Jaune said seeing what was going on in front of him.

"Stand strong, Jaune, stand strong," Strom said trying to comfort the knight in distress.

"I never took you to be the board game playing type Blake," Sun said trying to get to know Blake more since he took an interest in her.

"Actually, I'm done playing," Blake said as she stood up and walked away.

"Women," Nora said after everyone tried to look at each other for answers.

Later on Yang had been defeated by Neptune and team RWBY decided that it was time to head back to their dorm for the night. The sisters, Strom and Weiss walked in together and began to get ready for the next day, while Blake was about to head out until Weiss stopped her.

"Stop," the heiress said as everyone stopped to watch and be ready to intervene. "Lately you have been quiet, antisocial and moody."

"Oh, thank you, I'm not the only one who noticed," Strom said looking relieved.

"Uh, you have met Blake, right?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"Which I get, is kind of your 'thing'," Weiss continued ignoring Yang and getting to the point. "But you have been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to all of us to let us know if something was wrong. So Blake Belladonna! What is wrong?" Weiss asked now balancing on a chair for dramatic effect.

"I just don't understand how everyone can be so calm," Blake said clearly worried about something.

"You're still thinking about Torchwick." Ruby said knowing that it was on her mind.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it," Blake shouted. "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it."

"Ozpin told all of us not to worry," Yang said taking steps closer to the team. "Between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure that they can handle it."

"Well I'm not," Blake argued and making her feelings come out. "They don't know the White Fang like I do."

"Okay," Weiss said trying to keep everyone calm. "Between blowing up night clubs, stopping Dust robberies, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the four of you are ready to go out there and capture the bad guys."

"What are you getting at?" Strom asked in confusion.

"But let me again be the voice of reason. We're students. We're not ready to handle these kinds of problems yet," Weiss said calmly and trying to make everyone think about how ready they are. "We're not ready!"

"And we may never be ready," Blake shouted. "Our enemies aren't going to just sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move and none of us know what it is, but its coming! Whether we're ready or not."

"Okay," Ruby said trying to calm everyone down again as she suggested her idea. "All in favor in becoming the youngest hunter and huntresses to bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale, please say 'aye'."

"Yes," Yang shouted. "I love it when you're feisty."

"I suppose it could be fun," Weiss said standing tall and upright.

"Do you mean the letter 'I' or the organs we have in our skulls that allow sight?" Strom asked pointing towards his band.

"None of you said 'aye'," Ruby said downtrodden.

"Alright then," Blake said smiling that her friends and teammates were supporting her. "We're in this together."

"Let's hatch a plan," Ruby said somewhat mischievously then realizing something. "Oh-no, I left my board game in the library."

"We're doomed," Weiss said placing her hand to press her temples a bit.

"Hey, take it easy, Weiss, we all forget something sometimes," Strom said realizing that he doesn't have his book. "Like my book for instance, I left it in the library too. Where someone can pick it up and try to check it out, but I think that- RUBY I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU."

"That's funny," Yang said laughing hard seeing Strom rush off behind his leader.

"We'll be right back," Ruby said crashing into someone. "Sorry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Emerald said offering a hand up. "Just watch where you're going."

"Oh it's you two from the bookstore," Strom said causing them to freeze up a little.

"You know them?" Ruby asked him.

"Well, I recognize them at least," Strom said then pointing towards them. Emerald and Mercury, right?"

"Yes it's good to know that you remembered our names," Emerald said hiding that fact that she was displeased.

"So are you new here?" Ruby asked hoping to make some new friends.

"We're visitors from Haven actually," said a voice from behind Emerald as Strom saw her aura. It was unlike an aura he had ever seen before. She had an Aura that was both burning red but then shifts to an ashen gray, like as something was done being burnt to ash.

"So, you're here for the festival," Ruby said then realizing something. "But exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess that we may have had a wrong turn somewhere," Mercury said looking at Strom.

"Don't worry, happens all the time," Ruby said trying to make them feel better. "Your building is just east of here."

"Thanks," the new girl said walking away. "Maybe, we could meet again."

"Oh, Welcome to Beacon," Ruby said rushing off to get her board game.

' _Something doesn't seem right about them'_ Strom thought to himself as he watched them walk off. _'But then again, I can't be one to judge a book by its cover. Still, I think I'll keep an eye on them, so to speak.'_ After they had turned around the corner he left and got his book.

When morning had dawned Strom had already began his workout and exercise for the day. Blake was reading her books as Weiss and Ruby were discussing some designs for clothes. Yang was currently having a little fit about her strawberry sunrise or lack thereof.

"I can't believe that he forgot my strawberry sunrise," Yang crossed her arms as she pouted. "It's simple to make."

"What 'I' can't believe is that you were going to be drinking alcohol," Weiss said as she stepped towards her bed.

"Ugh, for the last time, Weiss, that Strom wasn't going to be bringing 'that' strawberry sunrise," Yang said getting tired of Weiss nagging on her about underage drinking. "We all know Strom, so what are we going to expect?"

"Some sort of smoothie," Ruby said looking at some designs of clothes for when they head out check for suspicious activity from Torchwick and the White Fang.

"What's worse is that he had the guts to say good night but not even say good morning to us," Yang continued to complain about their only male teammate. "He was just out the door to do who knows what."

"Yang, he said that he was going to train and exercise," Blake said turning a page in the book that Strom brought from Tuskon's Book Store.

"Oh, well that still doesn't give him the right to not say good morning to his teammates," Yang argued trying to find a way to talk crap about others without making herself look spoiled.

"Yang, I think you're just upset that you didn't get your sunrise," Ruby said making her sister be quiet for a moment.

"Well I-" Yang started before Strom rushed through the front door.

"Guys, is Yang awake?" Strom said then looking at the blonde. "Oh perfect, you're awake."

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked as Strom rushed towards the fridge.

"I forgot the sunrise, because I was looking at a sunrise to get ideas for Yang's sunrise," Strom said taking the strawberries out along with other fruit. "If that makes any sense to any of you, good job."

"It doesn't," Ruby said looking at the fruit on the cutting board. "Wait, are you going to cut the fruit with a knife?"

"Yes, Ruby, that is how we cut fruit," Strom said grabbing the knife and started cutting the fruit with an incredible pace. "Okay and can we get plates ready now because I'll be done shortly."

"Wow that's fast," Blake said surprised about Strom's pace. "Okay plates are by your side."

"Thank you Blake," Strom said finishing up details then plating the servings. "Okay, get ready for strawberry sunrises."

"Oh, we're all getting some then," Weiss said looking at Yang with a scowl. "I'm sorry Strom but I don't think that-"

 _ **Cla-clack! Cla-clang! Ca-clat! Ca-Cling!**_

The plates we're already placed in front of them, decorated with fruits of all sorts: strawberries, pears, honeydew, and apples. The main piece was a half of cantaloupe that had its skin removed and decorated with each member's emblem on it.

"Ta-da," Strom said making jazz hands and a smile to match. "Strawberry sunrises for everyone, except me. I already ate."

"Strom these look beautiful," Yang said looking at everyone's emblem matched with the assorted fruits. "What was your emblem like?"

"Well, I don't really have one," Strom said as Ruby gasped in the middle of her chewing the strawberries.

"Oh my gosh," Ruby said then swallowing her food. "Strom, we have to make you an emblem then."

"You guys don't have to do that for me," Strom said sitting down. "I can live without an emblem."

"Strom Teitsia, we are going to make sure that you get an emblem that you deserve," Weiss said pointing at him. "You have been with us long enough and you deserve an emblem."

"Ah, maybe we can hold a contest about his emblem," Ruby said feeling a little proud of her idea."

"That sounds like something an author would say because they're too lazy to get it done on their own," Blake said without hesitation.

"Wow, that seemed a little… harsh, Blake," Weiss said finishing up her plate. "Well that was delightful, but I think that we can talk more about our plans after we get done with class."

"And I'll get our outfits done as well," Ruby said with glee. "And Strom I think that you need a new outfit."

"You will not have me remove my sarong, scarf, or band," he said with a stern tone in his voice, before going back towards his smile. "Otherwise, anything else is fine for me to wear."

"Okay you're going to be a challenge then," Ruby said thinking about the idea, and then pointed towards Strom shouting loud. "Challenge accepted!"

"Nice use of an old internet meme, sis," Yang said ruffling Ruby's hair, causing her to flail her hands at the hand of Yang.

"Well we should get going before the first class starts in fifteen minutes," Weiss said looking at the time. "It'll be Oobleck, then Goodwitch and finally… Port."

"Heh, I still think that Strom is lucky that he can wear his band in Port's class," Yang said looking a little jealous. "He can sleep without being called out for it."

"Why would I sleep during his lectures?" Strom asked facing Yang. "The man is a genius for telling the stories of different ways to defeat Grimm, although he could be more modest about his behavior."

"It's official. Strom has to be from a different world," Yang teased looking at the others for their reaction.

"Oh, what kind of world do you think he would be from?" Ruby asked playing along.

"Probably one that would allow space travel to other planets, asteroids, comets, and has a defense system against meteorites," Strom said with wonder about what was outside the limits of Remnant.

"Pffft, Hahaha, nah," Ruby said ending Strom's fantasies. "We will never see any form of space travel, Strom."

"You never know, Ruby," Strom argued as he follows everyone out the door. "If we can utilize a form of liquid or solid to be a source of fuel and have the engineering capabilities to be able to create enough force to propel some sort of space resistant craft."

"Okay, that may happen," Weiss said casually. "But not in our lifetime. Now let's get this day over with so we can prepare for our outing tonight."

"Fine," Strom said, sad that he has to put his thoughts on hold for their investigation.

When classes ended the teams got into their dorm to get changed. Weiss shoved Strom into the bathroom, for privacy reasons.

"Weiss, we all see you change, but I understand your reasoning for it, but why seclude him out when we know how his sight works?" Yang asked even though she knew how Weiss would respond.

"That's the problem we know how his sight works, but we don't know is how 'detailed' his vision is," she argued as she pulled out her outfit which Ruby has named Snow Pea. "We should be wary when we're around him during these times. We really don't know him well enough to figure out how he thinks and acts."

"Well that's where we have to give him the benefit of the doubt," Yang argued pulling out her outfit she named Hunter. "I know that it's a huge risk but, we have to have trust him to not peek."

"Can you just listen to what you are saying?" Weiss asked taking off her current outfit. "You're taking a risk he will see us in our underwear or worse."

"Well we can't always have the protection of clothes to cover us Weiss," Blake reasoned calmly. "There was a time where I couldn't cover up for a good three hours until I made it back to base back when…"

"Its fine Blake, we know that you want peaceful changes instead of ones that resolve to violence," Strom's muffled voice came from behind the door. "Ruby, what am I looking at?"

"That's your outfit," Ruby said happily and proud of herself. "I thought that you might like a change of pace of clothing to choose from."

"Well, I appreciate the thought, Ruby, I really do," Strom said trying to be careful about his words. "But my question is why it is pink?"

"What are you talking about Strom it should be- OH NO," Ruby stated as she realized a mistake she made. "Sorry Strom, I must have accidentally washed your set with mine."

Strom stepped outside the bathroom dressed in his outfit and everyone started laughing at what they saw. He was wearing a pink, long-sleeved shirt, purple shorts that had pink flames around ends, a black jacket, with pink socks and white sneakers to finish.

"Strom you look ridiculous," Yang managed to say before bursting into laughter again.

"Totally fabulous Strom," Blake added before she got control of her laughter along with Weiss.

"Yes I really appreciate the pink flames on the shorts," Weiss said with a grin on her face.

"I'm just going to change into my outfit that I have that is more 'appropriate' for tonight," Strom said as he went back into the bathroom.

"I think he likes it," Yang teased getting close to the door. "Maybe he'll wear it during the tournament. I think it would be a great idea."

"Sorry but that was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see me in the outfit," Strom said changing into his normal outfit. "Okay normal sarong and black hoodie with a blue t shirt underneath."

"Well are we ready?" Ruby asked everyone when Sun showed up in the window.

"Ready for what?" Sun asked gaining the attention of everyone.

"How did you get up here?" Yang asked.

"I do this all the time," Sun answered the blonde.

"He climbed he tree," Strom informed everyone gaining an 'Ahh'.

"Sorry Sun," Ruby said with a sad face. "We don't want friends to get involved with this."

"Pfft, that's dumb," Sun said with a smirk. "You should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune."

"Hey," Neptune said as the girls looked outside to find him up on the wall next to the window. "Can I be let in? It's really high out here."

"How did you get there?" Weiss asked followed by Strom laughing.

"Oh yes, please tell us all how you got up there," Strom said with a grin. "I'll tell the truth however."

"I have my ways," Neptune said hoping that his answer wouldn't make Strom tell the truth of how he really got up to where he was.

"Well I guess that's true," Strom said pleased with himself.

"Well then I guess that we're good to go and split up the work?" Ruby asked gaining a nod from everyone. "Good then let's begin."

"I will go to the communications tower and gain access to any incidents of stolen dust from the Schnee Company," Weiss stated what she would be doing to make an attempt to figure out a next area of dust to be stolen. "I shouldn't have a problem getting the files."

"There is a White Fang recruitment going on downtown, so Sun, Strom and I can go infiltrate the meeting to find any information that will be shown to the recruits," Blake announced what they would do until Strom spoke up.

"I don't think I should go with you Blake," Strom said, making everyone face him to hear why. "If Torchwick is there then I would be spotted out easily by him. I'm sorry but I'm not going to ruin what chances we have at taking him down, by getting captured."

"That's understandable," Blake said. "So Yang, you said that you know someone who would know about this, right?"

"Yep, there is a guy I know who knows everything dirty going on in the city," Yang said with confidence. "Getting the information won't be hard for me."

"Okay so Sun, you will go with Blake," Ruby started to list off the paired groups. "Weiss you and I will be going to the tower, which leaves Yang, Strom and Neptune to go get information."

"Actually Ruby, I only have room for two on my bike," Yang said then looking at Strom and Neptune. "So you two will have to fight to see who gets to ride with me."

"Oh ho ho, this is going to be fun," Strom said excited about the thought of the fight itself not the 'reward'. "It's always better to fight people that you meet, because it makes the bond more personal for each other."

"And I think that's nice, but I think that I'll just go with Ruby and Weiss," Neptune said frightened how Strom was so eager to fight him. "Besides, I don't think we have time for an argument or a fight."

"Eh, true," Strom agreed with the blue hair student.

"Alright then we're set to go," Ruby declared getting excited. "Let's head out."

Yang and Strom rode together on the back of her motorcycle on their way to Yang's informant. Yang was obviously the one driving since Strom didn't have a license.

"I have never felt anything like this, Yang, I thank you for the chance to feel this experience," Strom said feeling the wind in his face. "I don't think they will ever allow me to get a license though."

"Well I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself there," Yang said getting an idea when she saw a bump in the road. "If you feel like that you need to hold onto something, I'm fine with you putting your arms around my waist."

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think that-" Strom started before he was interrupted by Yang hitting a bump in the road sending him two inches of the seat of the motorcycle. He just launched his hands to grab the seat, and as he pulled himself to the seat he wrapped his arms around her toned stomach. Yang was smiling that her plan worked to some degree since she could feel his well trained arms. What she didn't expect was for him to get on her back. "I think I'll just stay like this for a little bit."

"Okay Strom, just don't squeeze me to death," Yang said teasingly. "I would hate to leave you Yang-ing on for dear life." She felt him chuckling on her back which made her smile and blush for the rest of the ride.

When they arrived at Junior's Club, Yang put her bike into park and took her helmet off while Strom hopped off the bike.

"Is this the place where your informant is at?" Strom asked looking at the building and the bouncers who seemed to rush inside. "Are they closed?"

"Yes, this is where he is," Yang said walking with Strom to the front doors. "As for the second question, I don't care."

"Doors are locked," Strom said thinking of how they were going to get in. "Shall we break, bust, or burn the doors down?"

"I like the way you think Strom," Yang said smiling when she had the same thoughts as she readied her gauntlets. "I think I'll choose the option of blast."

Yang blew open the locked doors with ease and not damaging the doors in any way. She smiled and smirked as guns were pointed at her face very closely.

"Hey Yang wait up and- WOAH," Strom said when he saw all the guns pointed towards her.

"Don't move blind fool," A henchmen shouted at Strom pointing their gun towards his face. Strom just looked at the henchmen who he was clearly taller than, and broke his gun. "How did you-"

"What is going on here?" A man walked up with anger as he pushed aside his men to see who he had at the door. "Blondie, you're here, why?"

"I have some questions for you Junior," Yang said as she walked up and grabbed his collar to drag him to the bar while the henchmen decide to get back to work. "And you still owe me that drink."

"Is that a towel around your waist?" Strom turned around to see two girls, one with a cold red aura the other had a cold blue aura.

"No it's a sarong," Strom said then starting to walk off towards Yang before turning towards the girls again. "Have a nice night."

"What," "Ever," the twins said walking away as Strom walked to Yang.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Yang asked fiercely as Strom just placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down Yang, I'm certain he has a reason," Strom said looking at Junior with a patient smile. "May I have a glass of water?"

"Uh, sure," Junior said as he got a tall glass and filled it with water and placed it in front of Strom. "Like I said, I don't know because he hasn't come back since. The only time I saw him was so that I could lend him some of my men, which by the way have not returned since I loaned them."

"I guess he wasn't happy with their performance," Yang said causing Junior to scowl as he turned to his men.

"WHICH IS SOMETHING I UNDERSTAND," Junior shouted making sure that his men could hear his displeasure with them. "Look if you have anything else to ask me, please do, otherwise I have nothing else to add."

"Let's go Strom, we're finished here," Yang said as Strom downed the rest of his water stood up and walked away. "Thanks Junior, I'll be around when I feel the mood."

"Of course you will Blondie," Junior said tiredly as he washed the glasses.

"Well that was a bust," Yang said agitatedly as she got on her motorcycle along with Strom.

"Well maybe the others had better luck at finding something out," Strom said as Blake's voice was heard on the scroll.

"We need backup. Torchwick has a paladin and we're heading towards the highway," Blake shouted as she, Sun, and a giant mech ran by the club where Strom and Yang were.

"Want to give chase Yang?" Strom smiled as he already knew the answer she would give.

"Oh yeah," Yang said as she revved the engine and took off after the paladin and seeing the cars flying towards them. "Watch your head Strom!"

"Oh Oum," Strom said as he ducked to avoid being hit by a car and he looked back to find everyone fine. "Dang, those are tough cars."

Weiss and Neptune had gotten onto the highway as Sun and Blake we're trying to fight the paladin and run away. Neptune ran towards the paladin and jumped to swing his weapon, but he was then knocked into Sun and sent off the highway. Weiss froze the highway as the paladin ran by, slipped and fell off the highway. Everyone soon followed after Torchwick off the highway, and now it was just RWBY going against Torchwick in a paladin mech.

"Freezerburn," Ruby shouted the combination move of Yang and Weiss who would make a mist for their team to hide in. Strom noticed the guns and proceeded to melt some of them down before they could shoot any of his teammates.

"Checkmate," Ruby commanded as Blake and Weiss to slash at the mech making small dents and cuts at the legs hindering its mobility by a fraction. Roman then fired off missiles at the two causing them to fall back a little, he saw that Weiss was still airborne and shot her as she gave Blake an empowerment glyph. The mech fired another round of missiles only for Blake to cut up and destroy.

"Ladybug," Ruby shouted as she and Blake started to cut at the legs again, hindering the paladin's movement even more before one of the arms was cut completely off by Ruby. Yang managed to get on the back of the mech and started pummeling into the head. Roman went into reverse and crashed through two concrete pillars before stopping on a third one. He then turned around and punched Yang through the third pillar destroying it as well.

"YANG," Strom shouted as he saw the scene happen in front of him. How she fell was just like the time he saw Azure fell to the Alpha Beowolf. All he could see was Yang and the paladin. He shouted loudly charging forward to defend his teammate, his friend. He was engulfed with flames and was hot enough to dissipate the mist in a second as his rage grew more and more until he snapped. He rushed forward to the paladin and performed a spin kick at such a high velocity to knock over Roman, and severely dent the mech. Strom continued to get hotter as he slammed his fists and kicks into the downed paladin.

"Don't worry Blake, Yang's fine," Ruby informed the others. "Which every hit she gets stronger, and uses that energy back at them. Bumblebee!"

Yang and Blake sprung into action as Blake threw her weapon at Yang who caught it and started to run around Blake until she got enough momentum to stay in the air and continued to build velocity. Strom ripped the arm off the downed paladin whose foot was melted into the ground, keeping it still. Strom backed off and started to concentrate the fire and heat to only his left fist. Yang was now flying towards the mech as she and Strom shouted sending their punches for Roman.

"Eat this!" Yang shouted loudly, eyes burning red and hair on fire.

"Solar punch!" Strom Shouted as he released his punch into the metal. Needless to say, the paladin was now in pieces everywhere with Roman tumbling out.

"I just had this thing cleaned," He complained as he turned to see Yang shot from her gauntlets towards him and Strom sent out a blast of fire. Roman looked away as a person dropped down with an umbrella to shield the gun blast from Yang with ease. When Strom's blast connected she had to stand her ground from the force of its impact.

"Ladies, Ice Queen, Blind Money Maker," Roman said getting a "Hey" from Weiss. "It's been a pleasure. Neo if you would."

Yang saw the person bow before her before she sent a punch their way as the shattered into glass. Then the team saw the duo in an airship flying away.

"So I guess he got a new henchman," Yang said angrily before Strom suddenly hugged her. "What the- Strom!"

"I'm sorry, Yang," he cried out, tears wetting the area of his band before streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry."

"Strom I'm fine," Yang said trying to comfort her friend. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry," to Strom it was the only thing he could think of to say. The others could only watch him have his break down and try to help him back up. After a few moments, Strom had calmed down enough to speak. "I suppose that you all will want an explanation."

"That would be nice Strom," Weiss said calmly, worried about her teammate. "It would make it easier to understand."

"If you don't want to talk about it we understand," Yang said placing a hand on his shoulder. "If it brings pain to remember well, we don't want to rush you to tell us."

"We're all a team so we will be concerned," Blake said then turning to Ruby.

"What you have to say will not change what we think of you," Ruby said with a patient smile. "So, whenever you're ready to talk to us about it we will listen."

"Thank you everyone," Strom said grateful he has such good friends. "But I have already told the story once to Jaune, so telling you won't be difficult. However when you were punched through the pillar Yang, something snapped inside of me. What I saw looked just like in the past with her. I'm also sorry for getting your outfit wet Yang."

"Oh don't worry about the outfit," Yang said calmly. "How about you tell the story to us on our way back to Beacon?"

"I can do that," Strom said.

While the team took their time getting back to Beacon, Strom told the story of his friend, Azure Fall, and how her life came to an end. Everyone took the story quite well, Weiss thought about the story and it's worth, Blake tried to place herself in his situation to see and imagine his position better, Ruby started to cry remembering about her mother, although she was quiet about it, Yang was left to care for Ruby as she listened to the story understanding what exactly happened tonight. Once everyone had made it back to Beacon they all went upstairs to their dorm to sleep the night off. Although something seemed off.

"Do you think we forgot something?" Strom asked having that feeling.

"ATCHOO," Sun sneezed away from him and Neptune.

"Dude, not cool," Neptune said thinking about team RWBY. "Do you think that they forgot us?"

"It's a possibility," Sun said calmly. "Let's get back to Beacon."

"Well tonight we have found out that Torchwick had a paladin and defeated him. We also learned a little bit more about Strom, even if it was sad to hear, I think that this night has been successful," Ruby said proud with herself about the fight with Roman. "Anyone agree or disagree?"

"Well it would have been better if we captured Roman," Weiss said. "But I suppose that a good thrashing will do just fine."

"Yeah if it wasn't for his new henchman, we could have actually caught him," Blake said remembering how when Yang threw a punch at her she and Roman shattered. Her semblance must be able to allow some form of illusion since they shattered like that."

"You might say that she made our plans 'fall apart'," Weiss said making a poor attempt at a pun. Strom didn't even snicker at all. "What, bad timing?

"No, it just wasn't very good," Yang informed Weiss. "Strom didn't even chuckle at that."

"Well at least I'm trying," the heiress said in defense.

"Ugh, I might need some food before I can go to sleep," Ruby said starting to grab a bag of cookies before Yang snatched the bag from her sister. "Yang, I'm hungry, let me eat."

"Try to have something that is more healthy and hearty then," Yang said before turning to the rest of the team. "Anyone else got the late munchies?"

"Yeah, I think a little food can't hurt too much," Blake said grabbing a book to read. "I'm not picky about what I eat."

"I hope that I won't put too much weight on if I do this," Weiss said to herself as she read her magazine and filed her nails.

"I'll join you guys after I take a walk," Strom said walking out the door making everyone concerned.

"Okay I'll go look for him," Yang said before stopping at the door. "I'll have spaghetti please. Thank you,"

"How do you make spaghetti?" Weiss asked the other two who were still here.

"I think it's cooked like fish," Blake said thinking about the dish in question. "I usually just either steal what I have to or cook fish on a stick."

Ruby just sighed in disbelief of her teammates' ability to cook. "I'll show you how it's done."

Strom had walked to the outside garden with the fountain and sat down besides a rock contemplating what happened at the highway. He placed a hand on the rock and activated his semblance, scorching the rock with his hand as he left a mark on the rock when he heard a voice behind him.

"Is something troubling you tonight?" Ozpin said looking at the burn mark Strom left on the rock. "It's not normal for a student of mine to vandalize school property."

"I apologize, but I just had a rough night remembering a bad memory," Strom said looking ashamed of himself. "I thought that I was ready to protect everyone on my team, my family, but I failed and they got hurt. Even if their aura could cover the damage, I still failed."

"Strom I understand where you're coming from," Ozpin said sitting on the bench on the other side of the pathway where Strom was. "It's very hard to look at your team to get harmed even if it is a minor scrape. However, you can't protect them from all incoming harm. I remember a time where I asked Port to hold off a Deathstalker as I took down a Nevermore, he got a bad cut on his lip. When we were done fighting he smiled at me with that cut spilling some blood from his lip."

"Is that why he has a bushy mustache?" Strom asked out of curiosity.

"No, his lip healed up quite nicely," Ozpin said remembering his friend. "I don't know why he likes his mustache that way. You understand what I have said, correct?"

"I do believe so," Strom answered thinking about the words of the headmaster.

"Prove it," Ozpin said looking at the moon. "Prove it with your actions with your team, and don't run away."

"I understand," Strom said simply as he hears Yang calling out for him.

"That would be my cue to leave," Ozpin said standing up and walking away. "And Strom, try not to burn any more rocks. Glynda would have a hard time appreciating the act."

After a few moments Strom just sat there looking at the mark, Yang found him. "There you are, I have been looking for you."

"I'm sorry that I have been worrying you, Yang," Strom said not wanting to face her.

"You have everyone worried Strom, even Ice Queen," Yang said with slight agitation in her voice before calming down. "Look I know that you want to make sure that we don't get hurt, but that can't always be helped. Sometimes we have to take that slap or that punch, but we know what we can take."

"I understand," Strom said standing up and dusting himself off. "Just know that when I see you get hurt, I wish that I could take that pain for you even if it was tenfold of what you felt."

"Strom," Yang said as she blushed a little bit. She thought to herself, _'Strom is not like the other's Yang, who knows, he may be the one who truly sees beyond the figure, then again it's not like he can see normally in the first place.'_

"Are you thinking about my sight?" Strom asked her, who froze up stiff.

' _Play it cool Yang, he doesn't have to know that-'_ "Yes," Yang thought to herself as she said her answer. _'Smooth, Xiao Long. That was totally not offending him.'_

"Ah, do you want to learn how to see like I do?" Strom asked Yang now looking into her lilac eyes.

"Yes," She said hesitantly afraid of his response.

"Okay, we can start tomorrow," Strom said heading back to the dormitory. "And Yang, I know that it's selfish of me to ask, but can you promise me that you won't get hurt like that again?"

"Strom, I can't promise you that," Yang said sadly following him. "But I will try my best to not get hurt."

"I guess that I will have to settle for that then," Strom said walking even paced with Yang. "Why do I get the feeling that we're going to walk into disaster?"

"Probably because I asked them to cook," Yang said thinking about what happened while they were out. They reached to door to find that Blake already in bed asleep, while Ruby and Weiss were bickering quietly.

"Why did you freeze it Weiss?" Ruby asked her partner about the plat of frozen spaghetti.

"Because I thought that it would be bad for it to slowly cool down," Weiss said trying to defend herself from Ruby.

"Well looks like I had some time and my stomach said that it's fine," Strom and Yang said looking at the plate.

"Please tell me that someone will teach Weiss the basics of cooking," Ruby pleaded towards one of them.

"Sure, I can do that," Strom said eagerly.

"Oh, thank Oum," Ruby said relieved that Weiss will no longer be cooking without knowing what to do.

"Well it's been a night," Yang said yawning and stretching. "So I think that we should get some well needed sleep."

"Agreed," everyone said heading off to bed.

When everyone was asleep Blake sat up from her bed awake and worried about what Torchwick and the White Fang were going to do next. She left her bed and went off to find answers knowing that she had to be back before everyone wakes up.

 **Author's note:**

 **Well that was a thing. Personally I think this was a little weaker than what I usually do, but I'm still happy with the work.**

 **As for a Story update, I have gotten not one, not three, but two PM's this week. And seeing those two messages made my week. We have also over 2,299 views, 21 follows, and 15 favorites. Again You are all amazing. Hope to see you react to the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Learning and Remembering

Everyone woke up early for the morning, Weiss was somewhat nervous to be learning something that she thought that she would never half to do. She was in the kitchen ready for her lesson with Strom. He walked into the kitchen with casual clothes on ready for the worst.

"Alright Weiss, are you ready for the lesson?" Strom asked his teammate. "After some lessons and time, you will come to appreciate those who have to do this for a living, even those at your home."

"I'm prepared to learn," Weiss said taking out a notebook and a pencil. "What is the first lesson that I will learn?"

"You're first lesson will be to drop the notebook and pencil," Strom said carrying some plates over to the table. "Cooking is going to be more of tasting your work, making mistakes, and showing your personality."

"So I don't need to take notes," Weiss said putting away her notebook and pencil. "Okay, so, what's next?"

"You make breakfast," Strom said pointing towards the five plates. "Scrambled eggs, sausage links and toast with a selection of jellies or butter."

"Wait you can't expect me to cook already, I have no experience," Weiss cried out in disbelief that she was going to make breakfast after last night's disaster. "I think you should do it since I know that you can't mess it up."

"Wrong, I can make a mistake just like anyone else," he said firmly as he brought out a dozen eggs, butter, milk, sausage links, and bread. "Now stop doubting yourself. The only time you should doubt yourself is when you have no food to cook, otherwise we make mistakes and we fix them. Now let's get the sausage started."

He let Weiss do all the cooking as he stood back and guided her through and let her know when the food was ready to be served. They discussed about a surprise for the others before they came in to eat.

"Good morning team," Strom said with a smile. "Today is a great day to start something new or learn something new."

"Good morning Weiss, Strom," Ruby said yawning a little. "Ooh, eggs, sausage and toast, simple but always a treat to see."

"With a selection of jams and jellies to top the toast," Blake added while grabbing her plate and the grape jelly. "I'm sure that it will be nice and give us the energy for the day."

"You can say that again," Yang said after placing some butter on her toast. "So, how was your lesson Weiss?"

"It went well. Strom cooked while I stood back and watched," she lied with excellent acting. "Maybe next time I could make something for everyone?"

"Yeah, the next time you cook for us will be the last time we eat," Ruby said rudely as she placed another forkful of eggs into her mouth.

"Funny you should mention that because, surprise, I didn't cook at all," Strom said with a grin. "Weiss here cooked everything on your plates, as well as the toast."

"Yeah, nice joke Strom," Ruby said as she laughed and started to sound nervous after seeing his expression. "What?"

"Well I think that it was nicely done Weiss," Yang said finishing up her plate. "I really appreciate the work you put into breakfast today."

"Yes, thank you for breakfast," Blake said getting up from the table to wash her plate. "I'm going to relax in the library now."

"Okay then," Ruby said who was admitting defeat to Weiss. "It was wonderful Weiss. Thank you and I'm sorry for how I acted."

"Its fine Ruby," Weiss said cleaning her plate. "It only makes my victory only sweeter."

"Just remember Weiss, this was a simple dish that anyone can make easily," Strom said cleaning his plate after Ruby was finished with hers. "Just because you made one dish doesn't mean you mastered cooking yet."

"Right, but let me have this victory," Weiss said still proud of herself.

"Hey Strom, what time do you want to have our lesson?" Yang asked before heading to the gym.

"Oh, whenever it works for you, I'm not picky," Strom said grabbing his sarong. "I'll be at the training room if anyone needs me for anything."

"So Yang, what are you going to learn from him?" Ruby asked her sister innocently. "Is he going to teach you a new fighting technique or how to throw fire from your hand?"

"Ruby, we have two different semblances, so throwing fire is going to be out of the question, maybe," Yang informed Ruby as they entered the gym. "Do you smell that Ruby?"

"What, sweat and body odor?" Ruby asked trying to find what her sister can smell in the gym. "Whatever you smell I hope it's better than this."

"Disappointment," Yang said to Ruby. "All the guys here get to see us, and they get their hopes up only to ask themselves 'what if'."

"What is your point here Yang?" Ruby asked starting her workout routine that she started with her uncle.

"My point is that they can imagine but they will never get the nerves to ask," Yang said beginning punching a one-hundred pound punching bag for her warm-up. "Meanwhile we haven't seen Strom actually do his routine before, what do you think he does to keep himself that strong?"

"I don't know, push-ups, pull-ups, and lift weights," Ruby guessed unsure of how he keeps himself in that shape. "Maybe we can ask him later, or we can ask some of the others here." Ruby said listing off some options for Yang to think about.

"Hmm," Yang thought about what Ruby had said to find out her male teammate's workout routine. She saw Jaune and Pyrrha working together with a simple jog around the small track. _'Hmm, maybe they know what he does normally in the morning,'_ she thought to herself as she continued to punch the bag harder and harder. She stopped and looked towards her sister, "I'll see if Jaune and Pyrrha know anything about it."

"Okay, just don't leave me for too long," Ruby strained to say as she entered the rigorous part of her workout.

Yang made her way over to the members of JNPR she could see and started jogging with them to not break their pace. "Hey guys, mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead Yang," Pyrrha said placing herself between Yang and Jaune. "What do you want to ask?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about Strom's workout routine," she asked the two as they jogged. "He already has it done before we get ready for the day. If you don't know anything that's fine, I can ask him later."

"Well, I managed to catch him once one morning," Jaune said gaining both of their attention. "It was quite amazing actually." He said remembering what he saw. "For the thirty minutes I jogged that day he just did push-ups vertically, after that he just punched and kicked the training robots here, I think he took on five on a high level. Yeah, it was set to level 9." He said remembering his friend demolishing the training bots. "Needless to say, but it was a one sided battle."

"Is that it?" Yang asked Jaune looking for more. "It sounds like you may have caught him at the end of his workout."

"I did actually, he told me that he did a lot of squats and crunches along with the punching bag and torture he put himself through," he said remembering what Strom did and shuddered.

"What does he do?" Pyrrha asked now curious of what Strom does daily.

"You all see that metal pole there," Jaune started before cringing a little. "He starts kicking and punching the pole, without the use of aura."

"Is he mad?" Pyrrha asked making sure she heard Jaune right as Yang thought about it.

"That's not all, and then he asks others to strike his arms with a thin metal pole on both sides." Jaune added remembering what Strom said to him. "I asked him why and which he responded "To make my bones stronger, they have to be tested every day to push their limits"."

"I have said it once but I'll say it again, Strom is weird," Yang said smiling remembering how he would respond. "But it's what makes him normal. Thanks a lot for your time but I have to go check on Ruby to make sure she's not having a panic attack."

"Take care," Both members of JNPR said continuing their run.

"Yang! There you are, I have been worried that you had left me alone," Ruby said as Yang ruffled up her hair.

"Awe, you know that I can't live without my wonderful baby sister," Yang said pulling Ruby into a hug. "Anyways let's get our workout done and then I can go pick on Strom."

"Okay that sounds good," Ruby said returning to her workout as Yang started to bench weights. After a while of silence Ruby thinks about a question for her sister. "So Yang, Who do you think that you might marry later?"

"Where is this coming from?" Yang asked knowing that Ruby doesn't normally ask questions like this. "I'm not saying like its bad or anything but why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just thinking about how life goes as I was working on my balance when I just thought about you and who you would marry and love," Ruby said looking at her sister. "So, I was just curious."

"Well, I can't say for certain, but I know I would want someone who can see me for more than how I look, someone who is kind and caring, who won't run away from their family and stick through the storm and rain," Yang said listing off qualities for others to hear making them step away after thinking about how they are. "When it comes to looks, I could care less. I want them to see me for my personality and not my looks."

"So, is Strom the best candidate right now?" Ruby asked innocently making Yang stop what she was doing.

"Well, Strom is nice and does care a lot for all of us, but I don't think he can see someone getting together with him, Ruby," Yang said with a little sadness to her tone. "I doubt he even had a first love."

"We don't know until we ask," Ruby said knowing that asking is always a good way to learn information. "Maybe he's the one you're looking for."

"I doubt that Ruby," Yang said thinking about her teammate. "He just doesn't seem interested in a relationship."

"Yang, do you know for certain?" Ruby stopped everything as she looked Yang in her lilac eyes. "Can you say, with certainty, that Strom has no interest in relationships?"

Yang tried to open her mouth to argue with what Ruby had said and asked, but couldn't find anything else to say except, "No I can't."

"Yang, I think he cares for you a lot more than you think," Ruby said remembering last night. "You did see how worried he was after you were sent through those pillars, correct?"

"Yes, but why didn't he do so when Weiss had been shot out of the air?" Yang looked towards her sister for answers as Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think so?"

"Yang, I'm not saying he does," Ruby said looking at the time. "But, what I am saying is that you should ask him how he feels. Like you said to me a long time ago, "You can't get anything if you don't make an effort for it.""

"Heh heh," Yang laughed softly seeing the irony here. "Here I thought that I would be giving you all the advice that I could and yet look at you, helping me with my issues. This is why you're the best baby sister ever." Yang beamed as she started crushing Ruby in a sister hug only she could give.

"Lungs collapsing, ribs creaking, air depleting," Ruby groaned as she was squeezed by one of Yang's tightest hugs yet. Unable to get air in Ruby tapped on her sister's back to try and get her to ease up on the hold. "Yang, Yang!"

"Sorry, that one was a little bit longer than normally," Yang apologized to Ruby as she stood up. "Well I guess that I will go to Strom and get my lesson started and maybe ask him about what we discussed."

"Go get him Yang," Ruby cheered. "Just remember to ask!"

"I will. Wish me luck," Yang said as she rushed out the door.

Ruby smiled as she watched Yang go out the door, "It's been a long time since I have seen her like that. Well, I guess that I'll just run with Jaune and Pyrrha for the rest of my time here."

Yang rushed over to the training arena where students could go against bots and receive feedback from their performance. When she entered she saw a pile of bots and a crowd of students cheering someone in the center of the arena, which was Strom taking on five more bots.

"Man, this guy is insane," A male student exclaimed with a smile. "Taking on twenty bots at level 7 is unheard of!"

"Yeah and he's taking them down without any problems," a female student acknowledged. "I think he is hitting pressure points where humans would have them."

"Hey Strom," Yang shouted making everyone look at her including him as he just put down the last bot. "When you're done can we go start on that lesson together?"

"Oh sure thing," Strom said hopping down from the arena as the bots head back to their charging station. "Where do you want to be for the lesson?"

"Oh well I was thinking a quiet place to that we can focus on the lesson but no people to talk to. Just you and me, I like to take my lessons seriously when needed," Yang said as she and Strom walked out to the hallway. "Maybe the rooftop balcony?

"Okay, that's no problem just let me grab a few things from our dorm and maybe freshen up a little," Strom said noticing how much he sweated during his battle with the bots. "You can have the first shower if you would like."

"Well someone is the gentleman," Yang said not surprised by Strom's behavior. "That sounds nice, thank you."

As Yang took her shower Strom took a few things from the dorm room and placed them on the balcony. Preparing for the lesson that Yang was about to take. He saw her come up to the balcony in her usual outfit.

"Okay Yang, I'll go get my shower in before we start," Strom said before he left the balcony and within ten minutes he was back. "Alright shall we begin?"

"Actually I was hoping to ask you something," Yang said standing close to the wall.

"Oh, well I kind of was hoping I could ask you something too," Strom said shuffling back and forth. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Well, I guess that you can go ahead and ask first," she said after teasing him about how long she drew her words.

"Well I was wondering if you would like to maybe go into Vale with me," Strom said all the while his face was as red as his band. "Of course if you don't want to I completely understand and-."

"Strom I think that sounds great," Yang said smiling brightly at him happy as can be. "We can put off this lesson for now and head into town."

"Okay then," he said looking at all the items that he had brought out, and laughed nervously. "Would you mind helping me bring all of this back in then?"

"Oh, yeah," She said looking at everything. "Maybe while we're on the airship you could give me a 'crash course' in what I would have learned today."

"Sounds good to me," he said with a smile as the pun went over his head.

The both of them had gotten everything back in place and headed for the bullhead to Vale's main city. They sent a message to everyone letting them know where they were going. They talked about the lesson and how it works when they got on the airship.

"So it's like pouring your aura out into the world and shape it into your view?" Yang asked making sure she was correct.

"Not exactly, since everyone has aura and every living thing has aura, except the grimm, everyone has their aura locked in the beginning, but then gets unlocked in some way. Well it turns out that there is an active and inactive side to everyone's aura. So what I do is tap into the inactive portion of my aura and pulsate an area of sight, that way I don't rely too much on the active part of my aura. It's like how bats use echolocation except it's always shows what I see," Strom said explaining to Yang precisely how he sees. "And the best part is that even if I run out of the active part of aura I can still see because I rely on the inactive portion."

"Wow that is a lot to take into thought," Yang said then remembering something about grimm. "Then how do you see grimm?"

"Well, that it like how I see this ship, or you, or anything else actually," he answered before he frowned slightly. "However, grimm are just moving black voids with red eyes, they have different shapes but still all just voids."

"Oh well that's… comforting," she said as they reached the end of their flight. "Well, we're back in Vale, where to Strom?"

"Oh, uhhh, How about you choose the places to go, I wouldn't know what is cool or not," he said as Yang gave him a gentle push.

"Oh don't talk like that, I know that you will have a great choice," she said with happiness. "We can take turns, alright?"

"Okay, sounds good to me," he said thinking about a place to stop before he heard a stomach growl next to him. "Maybe getting a bite to eat wouldn't be so bad."

' _Oh thank Oum he didn't hear that,'_ Yang thought to herself trying to play it off as nothing happened. "Hmm, I suppose I could go for a bite to eat. Oh, maybe we can get something sweet to eat as well."

"Oh, well there is a café on the other side of this block here that we can stop at," he said pointing the block out. "I can't read out the menu though."

"Wow, that is impressive," she said as they walked towards the café. "I'm convinced that everyone should learn how to see like that Strom."

"Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to see as far as I can Yang," he stated with no emotions. "It took me years to develop this method to the way I perform it how I have it now. I'm not saying that someone else can't get to my level of sight given time but let's be serious here. I use this method every hour of everyday I'm awake, so unless they had started before the age of six there is no way that someone will catch up to me. I still keep growing my span of how far I can see every day. Maybe one day I can see the world from one spot. Who knows?"

"Well thanks to your speech we're here," Yang said with a grin. "It still wouldn't hurt to learn though."

"And you're right," Strom said walking in with Yang. "I'm thinking about some soup, what about you?"

"Soup sounds good to me," she said after receiving seats from the waitress there. They laughed and ate until they were no longer hungry. After paying the bill Strom had a thought come to mind.

"Hey, want to stop by Junior's Club again?" he asked gaining Yang's curiosity.

"Why would you want to go there again?" She asked trying to think of a reason why he would want to go there.

"Well I was thinking it might be fun to learn how the place works, and Junior seems to be nice enough to let us in last time," he answered. "Besides he might be able to help me to learn what is cool or trending."

"Strom, I can think of a lot of other people who can help you with that and what is with your fascination with what's new or trending?" Yang asked trying to grasp on what Strom thinks.

"Well, I just went a long time without having a real idea what was going on in the world, like how the White Fang went violent, so I don't want to miss out of any information," he reasoned.

"Let's just go to Juniors," Yang sighed giving up.

Junior's Club had just opened when Yang and Strom got there sending all the henchmen into a panic again before being chewed out by Junior.

"Blondie and… friend, you came back… what do you want this time?" Junior said getting tired of the reoccurring faces.

"Well I'm here because I want to learn how this place works," Strom said with a smile. "So, Junior, what happens at your club?"

"Okay, and you Blondie?" Junior asked politely knowing who he was dealing with.

"I'm just here to make sure that he doesn't do anything silly," Yang said placing a hand on Strom's shoulder.

"Yang I told you I would only ask for water," Strom said sitting down at the bar.

"It's not your drinks I'm worried about, it's whom you talk to," she said making sure that she was serious.

"Alright I'll be careful who I talk to," he promised.

The time they spent at the club grew as Strom observed and learned what goes on at the club. He got a chance to learn more about Junior, the Malachite twins, and how the Club began and became what it is today. He also observed the behavior of people and was shocked of the group of people there all clustered up.

"Man, they just group up like a herd, don't they?" Strom asked rhetorically. "Ugh, I like my personal space and- are those two pressed up against each other?"

"Yeah the term is called 'grinding'," Melanie said giving Yang a look of apathy. "When you're here, you see it a lot. Honestly, I would never do it but a lot of strangers will for no reason."

"I can understand if those who do have a relationship would do it privately, but this is a little much for me," Strom said looking back to Yang hoping for a different conversation to start. "Uh, I hope you don't mind me asking about your family, Yang, may I?"

"Umm, I'll tell you what, you might want to grab a glass of something because this story is a little long," she said as Strom asked for a glass of water. Junior, Melanie, and Militia leaned in to get a better chance to not miss the story. "I guess that I should start when my biological mom left me."

Yang went on with her story as she explained how her dad raised her the first few years of her life before she got to know her new mom named Summer Rose. All the while she talked about Summer, she was smiling and showed that she loved her mom as she loved her like her own. Then she explained that when Ruby was born that the love didn't falter. Yang's grin slowly went away as she reached the part about how she found a picture of her real mom and a location that Yang found familiar. She told them how she took Ruby in a wagon and went to the house and how when they got there a grimm had attacked them but their uncle was there to stop the beast. Yang was starting to look dark as she got to the part about when Summer went away from their lives before she went out to look for her mother with Ruby when Strom placed his hand on hers causing her to stop talking.

"Yang, it's okay if you want to stop if it makes you feel sad," he said making sure that she wouldn't cry. "You have said enough and it's getting late. We should head back."

"You know, I think that I agree with him here," Junior said looking at the time as he turned towards the twins. "What am I paying you for again?"

"You pay us to keep the club safe, so that it doesn't get wrecked like the last time she was here," Militia answered getting off the chair and starting to walk away.

"And you pay us to keep us quiet about your 'clients' that come here," Melanie added before joining her twin.

"Well, thanks for letting us be here Junior," Strom said as Yang rubbed her eyes. "We'll be back whenever to relax or have a chat."

"Oh, great, that's fantastic," Junior said with a little sarcasm as he watched the two start to walk out of the club when he saw a group of men come to the bar. "And what can I help you with?"

Strom and Yang had been walking together closely, until Strom sensed three men that he recognized from the underground fights and he knew that they were not happy.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here?" One of the men asked the others. "It's the one who got our businesses shut down, and it looks like he has a little friend too."

"Hmp, Strom who are these losers?" Yang asked rhetorically. "They don't look all that tough."

"Yang, in the underground fighting world, these are just brains," Strom said sternly but still grinning. "They aren't much without the brawn, but you all aren't too far away from them aren't you?"

"Heh, he still knows his stuff," one of the men said starting to back off. "Though you better watch out boy, you made the wrong people mad."

"Let's go Yang," Strom said pushing Yang. "Police are coming and we don't want to be around for that."

"Why not?" Yang asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to just tell the police that they were harassing you?"

"Maybe but, we don't have any proof of that," he said looking at the airships. "We also don't want to say where we go or anything like that."

"Oh, so we protect others by not telling the officer as they can overhear the conversation," Yang realized why Strom was eager to leave. "Well onto the airships and back to Beacon. So do you have anyone in mind to ask to the dance that's coming up soon?"

"A dance is coming up at Beacon. I did not know that," he said knowing that he was safe from the brains of the underground fights. "Will the dancing be like in the club?"

"No," Yang said making him sigh in relief. "It's going to be formal, which means you are going to need to lose the scarf, the sarong, and maybe the band over your eyes. Perhaps we should talk to Ozpin and Prof. Goodwitch about that."

"That sounds like an idea that I like and hope works out well," he said looking out the window as the city started to leave his area of sight. "I'm still not comfortable with the scar over my eyes."

"I'm open to talk to, if you want to talk about it," Yang said making sure that she showed the same respect that he showed her earlier. "Like you said before, "it's okay to stop if it makes you feel sad" and I intend to keep it that way."

"Well, thank you for saying that, but I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet," he said turning towards her. "Is the dance what you wanted to ask me about earlier?"

"Huh? Oh uhhh, yes, yes it was," Yang lied to him fearing what his answer would be.

"Are you sure?" He asked knowing that there was something more than what she said. "I don't mind questions, but I will let you know if you are asking sensitive questions."

"Yeah I'm sure," she lied again both to him and herself. "But do you have a suit for the dance?"

"Oh, no I don't, I should probably get one before then," he said turning to see Beacon come into view. "Did you enjoy the time out Yang?"

"Yes I did," she said smiling to herself. "Maybe we could go out some more in the future."

"That sounds like fun," he said feeling good when a question came inside of his head. "So what would you think of today being like?"

"Well a lot of people can say that it was a date," she said hoping that it was a date for the both of them. "What do you think it was like?"

"I guess that I would have to agree with those people," the second he said those words his heart soared a little, Yang as feeling the same way too.

As soon as they entered the dorm Yang was met by an excited Ruby, a worried Blake, and Weiss who was a little upset, but calmed down soon enough. Strom just went into the bathroom to get ready for the next day. Weiss went to sleep and Blake read her book as the two sisters whispered about Yang's date with Strom.

"So how did it go?" Ruby asked very quietly in order not to disturb her other teammates.

"Well, I think it went very nicely," Yang said as she continued to look towards the bathroom door and back. "I had a great time with him, although we had a run in with some of Strom's past associates when he was in those underground fights."

"Oh no," Ruby gasped quietly. "Please tell me nothing bad happened."

"Well I have Strom to thank for that and his knowledge of how they operate," Yang said looking back at the door again.

"Wow, you really like him, don't you?" Ruby asked a question that she could see the answer in her sister's blush of the cheeks.

"What can I say? He is a very good person to find," Yang said still looking at the door before yawning and looking at the time. "Well we have classes tomorrow so I'm going to bed."

"Okay good night," Ruby said stretching out a little heading off to bed and closed her curtains for the night. "I love you."

"I love you too Ruby," Yang said smiling at her sister before turning to Blake and looking at the book. "Reading the usual stuff there?"

"Actually I'm reading Strom's book, The Princess Bride," Blake said softly, not wanting to wake up anyone of her team that was sleeping. "I thought that it would be your typical love story, but it's actually different."

"How is it different?" Yang asked raising an eyebrow to what she heard. "Oh, let me guess, the princess is locked away from the one she loves and her knight in shining armor has to rescue her."

"Actually she was with a pheasant who worked hard but loved each other very much," Blake started to explain, making Yang listen to what she said. "One day the man leaves to go work on a ship but never came back. With her husband presumed dead the princess did not want to marry anyone else but is soon forced against her will to marry a prince. After a horse ride goes wrong she gets captured by a man who wants war, a skilled fencer with a feud against a man with six fingers, and a giant who was actually very friendly. I could go on but that's as far as I am right now."

"Oh," Yang said interested how the story was taking place. "Well, I guess that 'is' different from your typical love story."

"It is and I will happily lend you the book once I'm done," Blake said then remembering that it's actually Strom's book. "And if it's alright with Strom, but I don't think that you will have any issues with that."

"I was wondering when my partner would ask me about that," Yang said looking at Blake with a smile. "So, what do you think of the idea of Strom and I going out?"

"Well, I just want you to know that I am not your parent, I am your friend, and I like the idea of you two going out with each other," Blake said making her partner's eyes shine. "Besides, maybe you can help show the world that humans and Faunus aren't so different from each other."

"Well, I haven't thought of that, so I guess that's a bonus," Yang said starting to get into her bed before Blake asked her one more question.

"Do you truly think that the two of you will be together for a long time?" That question made Yang think about the idea of marriage and family and the possibilities of a lifetime with him.

"I can't say for certain how long we will be together, or even if we are the best for one another, but if he has the same feelings for me that I feel for him then I think that we can be together for a long time," Yang answered honestly looking at her partner before going to bed. "Good night Blake, sleep well."

"Good night Yang," Blake said as she kept reading until she knew that all of her teammates were sleeping. She once again snuck out to do her own investigating on Torchwick and White Fang.

The week went on normally when Ruby woke up in the morning on Thursday with an adorable yawn and stretch, Yang fell out of bed causing Weiss to wake with a shriek of terror, which chained Strom's shower to suddenly stop and he rushed out with a towel wrapped around his waist to see what was happening in the dorm room. Blake just watched the event unfold in front of her and tried her best to not laugh in front of Weiss's shriek. As soon as everyone had calmed down they got ready for the day.

"Oh boy it's sparring day," Yang exclaimed ready to watch some great matches.

Sparring matches were very exciting for everyone participating and watching. Right now Pyrrha was taking down the entire team CRDL with masterful technique. The match lasted about four minutes before Pyrrha made the final strike.

"Oof, Lucky shot," Cardin groaned as he lay on the ground. "But it was a nice match still."

"Pyrrha, well done, you should have no issues qualifying for the tournament," Prof. Goodwitch said before turning to the students. "I know that it would be hard to outshine that act, but we still have time for one last match. Strom, you haven't had a lot of sparring as of late, care to join me on stage?"

"Without hesitation," Strom answered with a grin and entered the ring noticing that Blake is having a hard time keeping her head up.

"Any volunteers to face off against Mr. Teitsia?" Prof. Goodwitch noticed that students seemed nervous whenever Strom is in the ring, ready to fight. "I suppose that-"

"I'll do it," Mercury said as he raised his hand.

"Okay well, Mr. Black, Please enter the arena for the match.

Mercury strolled into the ring thinking that he would have it easy beating Strom, but when he stepped into the ring he had a feeling that something was off about his opponent. He shrugged it off as nothing as the start timer counted down.

 **5….4….3….2….1….Start**

Mercury charged with the first kick to Strom's head and was met by a block of the arm. Strom sent a kick to the side of Mercury but he held his ground against the force. He tried to catch Strom off guard with a sweeping kick to his feet but his leg was caught instead. Strom was holding him by the ankle as he swung Mercury face first into the floor and started to pummel into the downed opponents back when Mercury brought his foot to be aimed at Strom's back and let off a concussion blast from his boot, knocking Strom off of him. They were both quick to recover from their positions and started to charge at the other. Their legs clashed making shockwaves that everyone could feel as their pace got faster. Mercury felt something was wrong with his legs, and he brushed his hand up one of them quickly to feel small dents in them. As Strom charged to try and finish off his opponent, Mercury stood up.

"I forfeit," he said as Strom quickly jumped over him and landed awkwardly.

"You're not even going to keep going?" Strom asked angered and disappointed about his opponent.

"I think I would have lost in the end, the difference is clear between us, so why continue?" Mercury remarked and Prof. Goodwitch ended the match.

"And the victory goes to Strom," she said turning towards Mercury. "Perhaps then you should choose an opponent with more consideration. Remember students the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday so I expect no excuses."

Everyone started to exit the room and the building as Strom noticed that Blake was having a very hard time keeping up the pace when Sun came up.

"Hey Blake I was wondering if, I know that it's not your thing to go to dances, but maybe we can be a thing there," Sun said confusing Blake with her dark circles around her eyes being very noticeable.

"What?" She asked trying to figure out what Sun meant.

"The dance, do you want to go with me?" he said more clearly and upfront.

"Sorry, but I don't have the time to go so such stupid things," Blake said agitated and angry that she is the only one who is giving everything towards investigating.

When team RWBY arrived at their dorm room they decided to confront Blake about the investigations and her health.

"Blake, we're worried that the investigations are taking too much out of you," Yang said concerned for the health of her partner.

"I agree," Weiss said with worry. "You haven't been sleeping much, eating little and you're grades have been dropping slowly."

"Who cares about grades when there are people's lives at risk," Blake argued fiercely. "We don't know anything else about what they plan to do."

"But thanks to you and Sun we know that they are operating somewhere in south eastern Vale," Ruby said trying to make her teammate feel better as she looked towards Weiss for more support.

"And we know from the Schnee records that the robberies that have taken place are only in Vale," she said hoping that Blake would feel as if she wasn't the only one working.

"And military tech," Yang added knowing that the paladin they fought wasn't the easiest thing to fight. "So Weiss and I are planning the dance this weekend, you really should come Blake. It'll be fun."

"Since team CVFY's mission is taking longer than expected, Yang and I offered to help out with the planning of the dance," Weiss explained with a smile. "We can make sure that it's perfect for you then."

"We can't learn anything if we aren't looking out there or staying here," Blake said with agitation.

"Blake 'you' can't learn anything if you can't keep your eyes open," Ruby said sadly and very concerned with Blake. "Strom what do you think of all of this?"

"Well, for one, Blake is her own person, so it is ultimately her choice on what to do," Strom said reminding everyone that they can't force someone against their will. "My suggestions are going to be: one, get some sleep Blake, and two, relax a little. If we don't enjoy life to the fullest that it has to offer, well, then point is there to continue for peace or fight grimm, or even enjoy life itself. However you do want peace for both humans and Faunus alike, but we can't destroy ourselves in the process. That's all I have to say."

"So Blake, what do you think?" Ruby asked very quietly, scared of what her response might be.

"I think that this is a colossal waste of time," she said as she stood and left the room. "I'll be in the library."

"Of course you will," Strom sighed after Blake left. "Well a dance won't set itself up. Luckily it's only Thursday."

"What's the point if Blake won't even be there," Ruby complained as she rested her arms on her legs.

"We'll just have to convince her to go, one way or another," Weiss was convinced that it was the only way. "The only question is how."

"I need to walk and think about ideas," Strom said as he stood and left through the door. "I'll be walking through the gardens."

Strom walked through the garden as he passed a rock, the same one he scorched his hand onto, and sat down onto a bench as Prof. Ozpin cam around and walked towards him.

"Good evening Strom, have something on your mind?" He said as he took a seat on the bench across from Strom. "Anything you would talk about?"

"Well, I guess that I'm worried for Blake, our team is worried for her," Strom said as he faced the headmaster. "I just came out here to think about the situation."

"Well, all I can say is to give it time, and remind her that she needs to rest," Ozpin said with a patient smile. "Don't worry too much, Blake is a smart individual and I know she will come around. Enough about stress, are you excited for the dance like I am?"

"Well, I still need to find a suit and ask you a question," Strom said honestly. "But I think that it will be fun for my first time."

"That's good to hear," Ozpin said setting his cane down. "And, what might your question be about?"

"Well I was wondering what you have set for what is allowed to be worn at the dance," Strom said while he was playing the tail of his sarong in his hands. "I'm not so concerned with a suit but I am about some of my other usual attire."

"Well, I'll tell you this Strom. I won't make you take off your scarf and band, but I would encourage you to take them off," Ozpin said making the student in front of him smile a little. "In the end it is up to you. Well it has been fun chatting with you Strom but you still have classes tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Prof. Ozpin," Strom said as they both left to start a new day. As he considered what the headmaster said he passed the building with the students who were visiting. He considered about visiting the team of his opponent, but then decided that it was late and he should get some sleep instead. When he returned to the dorm, Ruby and Weiss were already asleep in bed, Blake was still out and Yang just got out of the bathroom, finished with her hair.

"Hey, Strom," Yang said as she closed the door. "What do you think the dance needs? I just have this feeling that it's missing something, you know."

"Well besides Blake I think we're missing a personal touch from someone in this room," He said facing Yang with a small blush. "Didn't you say you had an idea for the party earlier?"

"Well, I did want to have fog machines here but I don't think Weiss would approve of it," She said a little saddened that her idea would not be implemented. "But I guess that's how life goes."

"Has Weiss had any ideas you weren't so happy for?" He asked gaining her full attention.

"Well yes, she would like doilies, boring table cloths, and that's about it really," She said listing the only things that the sleeping heiress wanted. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I was thinking that if you let her have those two ideas for the dance, she might let you have your fog machines," He said thinking about the chances of his idea working. "I don't guarantee that it'll work but sometimes you have to lose twice to win once."

"Well, I guess that I will try and ask in the morning," Yang said as she went over to her bed and hopped up. "I'll try and see if we can get the fog machine ordered from Vale tomorrow."

"And I will try to help Blake tomorrow," Strom said opening the bathroom door. "Well, good night Yang."

"You too," She said as she saw the door closed, she thought about what had happened in the past with her past relationships with boys who had no sense of control. How they would try and hit on her and ask her out without trying to get to know her first. She didn't want to be like her mom, but she didn't want to be in a bad relationship either. She thought about her relationship with Strom as she fell asleep.

When classes had ended on Friday Yang has already talked to Weiss about Strom's idea and was happy to hear that she would have her fog machines. She already made her way into Vale and was on her way to get her machines for the dance. What she didn't know is that she was being followed. When she passed a dark alleyway she was grabbed and had a cloth pressed over her face. She tried to fight back and managed to get some punches in on her attackers before she started feeling faint and passed out. As she passed out she heard a voice.

"Man that stung," the voice of a man said. "I wonder how 'he' will react when he finds out we have his girl."

Ruby was enjoying herself with a game on her scroll in the dorm room as she saw Strom walk into the room.

"Hi Strom, have anything special planned for today?" Ruby said trying to be happy but just couldn't show that she was.

"Well, I plan to try again with Blake and having her come to the dance and get the rest she needs," he responded. "Has Yang already left for Vale?"

"Yeah she has been gone for about thirty minutes now," She said still down for how Blake was acting as of lately, as her scroll got a notification from Yang's scroll.

 ***Yang would like to video chat. Do you accept?***

Ruby hit the 'Yes' button and was met with an unfamiliar face. "Umm, hello, why do you have my sister's scroll?"

"Ah you must be the 'little sis' correct?" A voice Strom knew too well said as he started to inform Ruby what was going on. "Well we have your sister captive."

"What!?" Ruby shouted scared of what happened as Strom rushed to her side. "Where is she? Is she hurt? Did you hurt Yang?"

"Relax, she is fine," the man said as he saw Strom. "Ah, there you are, boy. Now here's the problem, Yang is tied up at the moment and unfortunately, we can't get her down unless we can afford the equipment needed to bring her down safely. Boy, if we don't get every Lien that you made from all of your fights, she just might sink into the water. Come to this warehouse, alone, with the money, and don't even think about any funny ideas. If we so much as hear the police, she'll fall."

"I understand," Strom said looking disgusted of how they have Yang chained to an anchor. "When?"

"By five-thirty today," the man said as he closed out of the call.

"Oh Strom, what are we going to do?" Ruby cried as she knew what's happening. She felt a warm embrace slowly grow warmer around her.

"I'm getting Yang back," Strom said coldly. "Call Weiss, let her know what is happening, let her know that I need to borrow some Lien. I'll get the rest from my account."

"Strom we can't give into their demands, we can't guarantee Yang's safety," Ruby cried as she called Weiss.

"We're not but I need the cash to make it look like we are, I only need one-hundred Lien," Strom said grabbing his backpack and emptying the contents. He stopped by the ballroom and got the money from Weiss and let her know what was happening.

He made sure that everyone knew the plan. Weiss called the police, Ruby would cause a blackout in the warehouse, Blake would run and get the money, and Strom would have the time of his life making sure that he beat everyone involved unconscious. Then Vale P.D. would come and arrest all the offenders. All that was left to do was to grab the money from the bank and wait. Only time would tell if the plan worked or not.

 **(Author's note:**

 **Wow, that was pretty tense. However I think that the next chapter will be worth the wait. Who knows what will happen in the next chapter…. Well I will know at least. Don't get too salty about my cliffhanger, I thought it was a good idea. Anyways, I hope to hear your feedback as always. Hope to see you next chapter.)**

 **=======|=o SirArondight o=|=======**


	11. Chapter 10

**(And I have the next chapter ready for you guys and I apologize that I had to leave it off like that. Hopefully this chapter should more than make up for it. Enjoy~)**

Chapter 10: Tears and Miracles

Yang started to wake up and take a look at her surroundings and her situation. She was suspended up in the air with chains keeping her bound to something cold against her back. She looked down at the water and saw the end of the anchor she was chained to. She tried to break out of the chains, but the metal was too thick to break, even for her. She couldn't activate her semblance and give it away for her captors that she was trying to escape. They did notice that she is awake.

"Ah, you're awake," one of the men said that she recognized when she was out with Strom from the last weekend. "Did you have a nice nap Yang?"

"How about you go take your fake kindness, and shove it up your-," Yang was about to curse before another man she recognizes from the past outing spoke loudly.

"Ah-ah-ahh. Now we wouldn't want you to accidentally fall into the water now, do we?" He said as he shows Yang a remote in his hand. "Just one press is all that takes to end you, but luckily we're better than that. We don't plan to drop you until we get our money, but once we have our money…. Well I think you can figure out what happens afterwards."

All she could do was clench her teeth and get upset, but she had nothing to say. She couldn't afford to get herself dying before she could find her mother. She didn't want to die. Tears started to fall from her eyes and into the water below her.

"Help me," she cried quiet enough that no one heard her. "Someone, Strom, Ruby, Dad, Mom, Weiss, Blake, anyone."

Strom was walking towards the warehouse in front of him. The address matched the one that was sent to Ruby's Scroll. Everyone was in place. Ruby had a sight on the power box to shoot when the signal was given; Blake and Weiss were with each other ready to rush in when the power went out. All he had to do was throw the first punch. He stepped through the door with the bag in his hand.

"Ah, you're here early, boy," the man who had the controller said, looking at him. "I was beginning to think that you might not show and leave this poor thing here to drown."

"I have your money," Strom said as he tossed the bag away from him. "Now let her go."

"Oh come now, boy, did you honestly think that we would honor our side of the deal without a catch?" the man said as he stepped back. "No, before we free her you must suffer. We thought that this would be a nice little get together for the fighters that you humiliated when you fought them."

Just as he said those words a group of fighters came out from hiding. One of the men Strom remembered as Blood Lust had shown his face next to another fighter.

"Now here is how this will work, 'you' will be fighting all the wonderful gentlemen, who took the time out of their busy schedules, to get a chance of revenge," the man said as he shook the controller around for Strom to see. "However, if you throw a punch at any of them, your girl takes a dip forever."

"Hang on one minute," Blood Lust said as he stepped up to Strom. "I still want to see the fear in your eyes. Take off the blind fold."

"You might as well do it or Yang gets her feet, and everything else, wet," the man said with a thumb on the button.

Strom hesitated for a moment then brought his hands to the band and undid the knot in the back. Yang looked over because even she was curious to see what he looked like without the band. As the cloth came off of his face for the first time in a long time, everyone saw the scar from his past. The scar that went horizontal across his face it was a thin cut across his eyes, the cut that took his sight. The irises were red and fierce, like a burning flame. The pupils were gray since being treated too late.

"There it's off can we just get this over with," Strom said getting impatient. "I just want Yang safe."

"You don't have to do this, Strom," Yang cried out fearing that something bad was about to happen.

"Actually I do have to do this," Strom said as he moved into his position as he was surrounded by the fighters. "I actually believe that this is the point where I say "did you honestly think that I would hold 'MY' end of the bargain" gentlemen?"

As Strom said that he threw a punch into Blood's chest and sent him crashing into other fighters knocking them down. As the man pressed the button a shot rang and cut off the power. A gasp was heard and a loud splash afterwards.

"YANG," Strom shouted as he took a long breath and dove into the water as police stormed into the warehouse.

' _This is it, this is where I die,'_ Yang thought to herself as she struggled to get out of the chains as fiercely as she could, but still had no luck. _'I never even got the chance to tell him my feelings. Now I just sit here and wait for my lungs to give out. I can't hold much longer.'_

She blew out her breath and saw the bubbles quickly disappear into the dark waters. The cold water surrounding her started to cease being so cold. She couldn't hold it any longer. She closed her lilac eyes before she opened her mouth expecting water to fill her lungs. However the only thing she felt came in was air. She opened her eyes fast to see Strom's face and felt his lips on her own and her nose was pinched closed. His eyes filled with some relief along with fear and worry.

' _I'm saved,'_ she thought to herself as her breathing evened out. He gave her some breath as he slowly closed her mouth and began to sign.

'I can give you breath every 30 seconds by filtering water. I will melt the chains around your arm first.'

Filtering water for himself was easy and not painful at all. Filtering for two people was going to give him stress in his neck and lungs, but he would put himself through the pain for her sake. He used his semblance to heat up the chain and then break it off. He was always counting in his head. Yang's arm was now free from being bound. She grabbed Strom and brought him to her giving him a one armed hug and a kiss. His mind went somewhere else for a moment, lost in the waters, until he felt a pinch on his neck. Yang notified him that she needed to breathe again. He gave her the air she needed as he set himself back to work on getting her free.

Back in the warehouse the rest of team RWBY watched bubbles come up every thirty seconds after they caught all the men.

"Well I guess that Strom is giving Yang a way to breathe," Weiss said trying to be calm about it, while comforting Ruby. "Ruby, everything will be fine, Strom knows what he is doing."

"This wasn't a part of the plan," Ruby said sobbing still that her sister is trapped underwater.

"I know it wasn't," Weiss said sitting next to her leader.

"I wish that I could see clearly," Blake said trying to see through the water without luck.

"I just hope that they're okay," Ruby said seeing another round of bubbles come up.

"We all do, Ruby, We all do," Weiss said worried about her teammates in the water.

'How long has it been,' Yang signed with both arms now free. 'I feel like I have been down here for five minutes.'

'Well it's been seven actually,' Strom signed back as he gave Yang another chance to breathe and set back to work.

Time became lost to the two as the work continued. Strom was really feeling pain in his neck and lungs but he had to continue for her sake. He felt a tap on his leg while he pulled another chain apart from her thighs. He turned to see a turtle had brushed against him. The he feels Yang tapping on his head. As he turns to face her, she grabbed his head and brought him in for another kiss, then pinched him lightly to make sure that he was still in reality.

'I'm very grateful that you helped me,' she signed 'I just wanted to let you know that and I like I like you more than just friends.'

'I feel the same way Yang,' he signed back and gave her a kiss and a breath. 'I really like you, Yang, but I think we should confess when we're not underwater.'

'Agreed,' she signed as he went back to work now getting past her knees.

' _How many chains did they use?'_ Strom thought to himself as he pulled off another chain and sees it fall to the bottom. _'Little ridiculous if you ask me.'_

After a total of twenty minutes, the final chain had been removed from Yang's feet. They started to swim up to the surface to meet their worried team. Strom felt his lungs filling up with liquid slowly. He knew that he put too much strain on the gills and they started to bleed. Yang tapped once more on his shoulder, needing air. They shared their breath one more time before they broke the surface. They were met with worried eyes and scrambling hands and arms to bring them up onto the floor.

"Oh Yang, you're safe," Ruby shouted as she hugged her sister tightly and cried in relief. "You're safe, thank you Oum, that you're safe."

"Strom are you okay?" Weiss said as she noticed Strom putting his head back into the water. The next sound she heard was him spewing out red water like a fountain. "You're hurt!"

"Not really," he said spitting out the last of the watered-down blood. "Just a minor issue, really, I'm not used to forcing myself to breathe underwater that hard. It'll stop shortly." He continued to wash out his lungs and gills two more times to find clear water coming out. "That's better. Now the healing is done."

"Was that necessary?" Weiss asked him who was now being hugged by both Yang and Ruby.

"Yes, it would clean the blood out of my lungs and my gills," he said hugging the two sisters. "Okay let's get the both of you dried before you both catch a cold."

"Hmm, why don't you help us with that by using your semblance Strom?" Yang asked with a wink. "After all, you could have us dry within minutes."

"True, well I guess that I can do that for the both of you. Weiss, Blake do you want to join in as well?" he asked foolishly. "Oh you're both dry."

"And we would like to stay that way, thank you," Weiss said as they walked out together grabbing the bag and avoiding the police. "So what happens now?"

"Now we go and get that fog machine," Yang declared happily as if the whole experience never happened. "We will have it for the dance on Sunday~."

"You still want to prepare for that," Ruby cried in shock of how fast Yang seemed to recover. "After everything that happened, you still want to go out in the world."

"Ruby it was a traumatic experience for everyone but I'm not going to let it bother me too much now that it's over," Yang said continuing to walk with them as they went out onto the streets. "We'll all go together. Does that sound good to everyone?"

With a nod from everyone, they set off to pick up the fog machine. When they returned to Beacon, Yang insisted that Strom would go to the first aid room to get checked out while she and the others would work on the dance. Blake went off into the Library to continue her work. When Strom got done with the nurse he went off to bed early to find Blake sleeping soundly and Yang lying in her bed reading a magazine.

"Blake's sleeping, that's good," He said as he walked by the beds. "Will she be going to the dance?"

"Actually yes, she will be going and getting plenty of sleep before hand, as we all should be doing," she said as she placed the magazine down. "Hey Strom, I know this might sound a little weird but, I kind of appreciate what happened today, but what does that make us?"

"Uhh, I think it makes us a couple or something of the sort," he said shifting from side to side nervously.

"Can you see me like that Strom?" Her voice became a little wary. "What do you see me as?"

"Well, I see you for you, Yang," Strom said nervously but with confidence. "I see you as a very bright person to be around. Someone who-"

"Okay let me be more precise," Yang said interrupting him getting down from her bed. "When you 'really' look at me, what is the first thing you notice about me?"

"You're eyes," he said in fear that he said the wrong answer since he saw her stop and think. "The next thing that I would see was how you care for Ruby, and I know that isn't something that someone would notice if they met you their first time but when you get to know someone, after a while you see what makes a person unique from everyone else. But I really like the color of your eyes so I just see them first."

"Is that it?" She asked teasingly, poking him on his shoulder. She was really happy about what she had heard. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Well, no there was one more thing that I wanted to ask you," he said facing her with a smile. "Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

"Hmm, I'll have to think about it," Yang said before humming loud enough for Strom to hear as she walked around the room thinking about her plan. "I'll say yes. Just one condition you have to meet."

"What is it?" He said fiercely determined, and ready for her condition.

' _This is your final test, Strom,'_ Yang thought to herself as she recalled past attempts of a relationship. "I want you to tell the world how you feel about me."

"Okay, I feel that I care for you more than a friend, and to keep this short I… I love you," he said to Yang who was smiling and trying not to cry.

"I thought I told you to tell the world you're feelings for me," she said having her back turned towards her confessor.

"But I just did tell my world," Strom said as she turned around a little bit confused seeing that he was gesturing towards her. "You are my world, Yang."

"D'aaaahhhh," Yang squeaked as she rushed and hugged Strom tightly like she does with Ruby. "I was not expecting that. Okay, who did you ask for that line?"

"What do you mean?" he said a little bit strained at the pressure of the hug. "I didn't ask anyone for any lines."

"Ohhh, this makes it even better," Yang said beaming with happiness. "You're original."

"Well thanks, I want to be myself," He says as the strength of the hug grows longer and stronger. "Yang, you're starting to make a pancake out of me."

"Just a few more moments," she said not letting up on her hug as she closed her eyes. A few moments later he heard even-paced breathing.

"Yang, did you fall asleep?" He asked feeling the pressure slowly ease up but Yang would not let go of him. "Yang, are you really asleep?"

Ruby and Weiss had finished decorating the last parts of the ballroom to make sure that it was ready for Sunday. As they entered the room they saw Yang leaning forward onto Strom who was leaning on the wall trying to stay awake. He had his arms around her making sure that she wouldn't fall.

"What is going on here?" Weiss asked tiredly as she just flopped on her bed.

"Oh nothing much, just letting my dance partner sleep on me," he said trying to stay awake. "I might also become more than just her teammate, but I don't know the word for it."

Are you her boyfriend?" Ruby asked him quietly not wanting to wake up Yang or Blake.

"I think that is the word that I need," he whispered quietly. "Yes, if how I feel when I say that word makes me feel happy. Then yes I guess I am."

"Does that make you my brother?" Ruby whispered into his ear.

"Uhh, I know that we would have to marry for that to happen, but if it makes you feel any better, I do consider you to be a sister," he said calmly with a smile. "Now I think that I need to place Yang to bed before one of us sleeps wrong and we can't enjoy the dance."

"I'll help with that," Ruby said as the both of them worked on getting Yang to her bed without waking her up. When everyone was ready for sleep Ruby decided to ask Strom some questions. "So, you and Yang are together. How do you feel about that?"

"Well, I feel that a great responsibility has been placed upon me, but it's one that I can be happy about," he said as he sipped his water.

"Nice to know," Ruby said as she sipped her coffee. "So how do you plan to treat her?"

"Umm, well I plan to treat her the same as I always have, just the difference is that I would be paying attention to how she feels and if anything comes to harm her… well let's just say that they will have HELL TO PAY," Strom said very calmly until he got to the thought of someone harming Yang. He nearly activated his semblance right there. "But I would also cherish her and the time we share."

"Good to know, but what will you do if she denies your advances towards her?" Ruby asks with a sharp glare.

"Well, I would just accept it as that and continue to care for her," he said calmly. "No point to get upset about not getting my way. That would be extremely immature, and even though you may act like a child sometimes, you're more mature than that."

"Hmm, good answer," she said as she finished her coffee. "So you won't leave her just because she won't do it?"

"I never have or had any plans on leaving Yang, Ruby," he said with a soft smile. "I want her to be happy. She deserves to be happy."

"Oh, you're going to be the best brother aren't you?" Ruby says after moments of silence when she broke her tough girl act and hugged Strom. "It was really hard doing this."

"It's fine Ruby," he smiles and gently run his hand through her hair. "Now, how about some sleep? We don't want to become how Blake was, now do we?"

"Alright," She said as she rushed to bed and Strom did the same.

Everyone was bustling with energy as the dance came closer to starting. Friends were grouped together talking about the upcoming mission and other things in life. Teachers took the chance to relax and talk about the world and their lives. When the dancing started everyone found their dance partners while someone with a devious plot went over to the communications tower. Ruby went after the assailant and wasn't successful at capturing them. Yang had finished up her dance with Blake since she promised her the first, and then went over to Strom.

"Strom, did I mention how handsome you look tonight?" Yang said as she looked at him without his band on. "Or… are you jealous that my first dance was with Blake and not you?"

"Well I am slightly jealous, but I'm alright with you dancing with others as long as it makes you happy, and that you let me know," he answered truthfully. "But I will admit you look thousands of times better than I do."

"Well that's nice to hear from you, but why don't you try something a little better?" She teased as she had her fingers climb up his chest to his shoulder. "Maybe something more original, if you can."

"Well, I can think of something if we step outside of this rowdy crowd," he said while feeling anxious for some space.

"Haha, alright then, we can go outside for a dance or two," she chuckled at his anxiousness. They stepped outside as Ruby came back in to the ballroom. She saw the two of them and smiled. A single tear fell down her cheek as she felt joy that her sister may finally found the right person. When the two reached the balcony the clock was past twelve AM. "Wow, time flies by when you're having fun."

"Yes but the memories that they hold will last a lifetime," Strom said as they were the only ones upstairs. "It's moments like these that remind me of fireworks that I saw when I was young."

"Yeah, they shine bright and then become something beautiful but then fade away," Yang said sadly as the two of them slowly danced together with the music from the ballroom just barely making it to them. "Our lives kind of resemble fireworks. They fly up, shine bright, and then fade away, leaving a mess for others to clean up."

"Well that is a way to see life, but not the only way," he said smiling at his date, who was looking into his eyes and waited for him to add more to his statement. "But those fireworks can leave a magical moment for those who view it, and enjoy the memory for a lifetime. I would like to see many of those moments with you Yang."

"Strom," she blushed as she listened to every word he spoke. She stopped dancing and leaned into his chest as she hugged him gently. After a while she looked into his eyes, stood up on her toes as the kissed each other under the clear, starry sky, the light of the moon outlining their shadows as they merged into one shadow. Unbeknownst to them they were being spied on by the rest of team RWBY, team JNPR, alongside with Sun and Neptune.

"Should we really be doing this?" Weiss asked quietly not wanting to ruin their moment.

"I just want to make sure that my sister is happy," Ruby said just as quiet. "I owe it to her for all the times she has helped me."

"Well I think that the dance is about to end soon," Blake said looking at the time. "I think that we should give them their moment before Strom looks around and sees us."

"You're right," Ruby said with a smile seeing her sister laugh and smile after Strom said something funny. "Let's go get ready for tomorrow."

"Our spectators have left us," Strom said as they spun around do the soft music. "Shall we tell them tomorrow morning? They deserve to know, or at least make it official."

"Yeah, even though they already know we should make it official," Yang said smiling at him as they heard the music end and hear Prof. Goodwitch's voice.

"Good night everyone, we thank you for your attendance, but you all have your first mission to head out tomorrow. I advise all of you to get some sleep," her voice ended there.

"Well, I had a wonderful time being with you, dancing with you," Strom said as he felt Yang pull him back towards her and took another kiss from his lips. "I guess I can take that as you did as well?"

"I did, thank you for asking me to come with you," she said looking into his eyes as they embraced for a minute before being escorted out by Prof. Goodwitch. They entered their room and Yang went to sleep, Strom wanted to walk before going to bed. He walked through the grounds as he sensed someone behind him. He turns to face the person who was approaching him.

"Lovely evening tonight isn't it?" He asked the female whom he had talked to before his run in with Roman and his Paladin. "I don't believe I ever caught your name but, I do know Mercury and Emerald's name."

"Well, I'll tell you mine if you share yours first," she said with a smile that could fool almost everyone as the wind flowed past her ash black hair. "The other members have talked about you before in the past but I still like formalities."

"Oh, well I am Strom Teitsia from team RWBY," he introduced himself feeling tired but didn't want to be rude.

"Thank you for your formalities, you can call me Cinder, Cinder Fall," when she said her name she saw him pale as if he was looking at a ghost.

"That's a name I haven't heard in a long time," he said remembering Azure and how she had a sister. He needed to confirm that she may be who she is. "Do you know someone by the name of Azure Fall?"

"Yes, what does my sister have to do with anything," She asked curious to know why he knew her sister. "The last time I saw her was when she left to go to a place where she would train for years to come and… are you from that place?"

"Yes I am," he said really hoping that she wouldn't ask but deep down she deserves to know if she does ask. "I trained with your sister for years."

"How is she doing?" Cinder asked. She wanted to know how she was doing. She rarely cared for anyone else but herself, even she was wondering why she had to know.

"You may need to sit down for this," he said as he told the story how her sister died. She just looked at him darkly, angered, as she heard his story. "I'm sorry that you couldn't see her now. She would have grown up so well and be a great light for this world."

"I suggest that we leave now," She said coldly, her amber eyes held no shine in them. "You have a mission tomorrow."

"You're right and once again I can't even begin to imagine how you feel," he said as he stood up and walked away. "I'm sorry."

"You will be," she quietly said out of his hearing. _'Mark my words, Strom, when this plan to bring down Vale comes to bear fruit, I will be there to make sure you feel my wrath.'_

 **(Ominous… Well that's the end of this chapter, and hooray we all finally got what we have been waiting for.**

 **On another note I'm trying to keep Cinder as close to her character as possible, but throwing in the possibilities of her family just makes me wonder what her life has been like for her growing up. 'She wants to be feared'…. How do you get to that without knowing the story 100%.**

 **But enough of what if's and how's, I should concentrate on making the stories and making them better.**

 **Until next time. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **=======|==o SirArondight o==|=======**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Breached Defenses**

Ruby had been called to head up to the headmaster's office before everyone had their first mission. While she was up there answering questions the rest of the team were finishing up breakfast and cleaning up. Before that Strom and Yang told everyone that they were now together-together as Nora would put it. After the hugs and congrats have been passed Ruby got a message to come up to the headmaster's office. They got a few packages in the mail. Blake received a book from Tuskon along with a letter telling about how his life is doing well thanks to some random kid with a blindfold on. When she read that part of the letter and immediately looked towards Strom who was reading his letter from his parents and siblings. Yang and Ruby received a postal tube from home but Yang was going to open it with Ruby.

"Hey Strom, what did you get in the package?" Weiss asked curious about the package contained. "Since you can see through anything it's not hard to surprise you."

"Yes, but I don't know what is in here because I choose to not look in the box," he explained to everyone currently in the room. "I trust my family enough to be surprised by what they send me."

"Yeah but it is kind of a big package if you ask me," Weiss stated because the package was quite big.

"Yeah big enough to fit a dog comfortably," Yang added looking at the box as well. "Why don't you open it up first?"

"I like to read the letter before opening the package," He said continuing to read the letter as Ruby came through the door then everyone else rushed to her, except Strom.

"What happened?" Yang shouted. Ruby explained what happened with her meeting.

"That was risky," Weiss exclaimed her feelings about what Ruby said.

"I think she did well," Blake added being honest and well rested.

"I'm sure everything will be alright Ruby," Yang said as she consoled her sister who seemed down about the dance. "Oh! I know what will cheer you up. We got mail from dad, so I thought we could open it together."

"Ooh! Something from home," She said in a high pitched voice. She hopped onto Yang's back and started to try and get the package from her sister. Yang just shook the package. A small Corgi fell out of the package as everyone got in closer to the dog.

"Ruh, Ruh," the adorable dog barked seeing the group of people.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH," Everyone shouted in different tones. Strom was just trying to figure out how the dog was able to fit in the small package.

"Zwei!" Ruby shouted the name of the dog and proceeded to show her affection towards the Corgi.

"He sent a dog-" Blake was trying to get away from the dog, as Weiss picked up her sentence.

"In the mail?" she said still thinking about why their dad sent a dog in the mail.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time," Yang said like it was a fact.

"Your dad or your dog?" Blake asked from the high position of Ruby's bed.

"I think the bigger question is 'How'," Strom said still trying to figure out how the dog would fit inside.

"Magic," Yang said as she brought a note out from the package and read it out loud. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."

She tips over the package and out pours a lot of cans of food, and a can opener.

"Because magic," Strom said giving up about the fact that it broke everything he knew. "Well time to see what is in my package."

"Ooh, can we all help?" Ruby asked excited to see what is in Strom's package.

"Sure. I don't see the harm," He said as Ruby handed him the letter.

"Blake, are you going to join us?" Weiss asked seeing that her team member was still on Ruby's bed.

"I'm good, thanks," she replied from above. "Please keep Zwei away from my stuff."

"Dear Strom, We all miss you and we all wanted to give you an update since the last time you visited home. Darrel has been doing fine with working at Signal academy's Library. Truth be told, he is very happy with his job there. Mona is still working very happily at the diner, and always makes time for the rest of us. She recently got a raise and Boran started to take up some martial arts to try and be like you. He claims that when the two of you fight it will be his victory. As for me, Lily, I am going to become a pianist and so much more. I already am performing small gigs for free. As well as excel in my studies. The reason why we have sent you this package is because we learned what happened to you when you were five. So we saved up for this and we know that you will enjoy having a part of the past back with you. Love you lots. Lily, Mona, Boran, and Darrel," he said with a heartwarming smile as he finished up reading the letter and closed it. "Lily, you always didn't like writing."

"They got you a violin," Yang said as the package had been opened for a while since both Weiss and Ruby were being affectionate with the dog. "Do you even know how to play?"

"Yes, I still remember how to play," He said as he looked at the instrument. "Although I can't promise that I am any good now."

"Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater," Prof. Goodwitch's voice came on over the P.A. system.

"Well that settles it. Come on everyone, Zwei will be here when we get back along with the art of the violin, performed by Strom." Yang said as she left the dorm followed by Strom holding their hands together. Weiss and Blake were out the door as well after Weiss had to pet the dog goodbye. After a while Ruby joined them with a backpack of what they would need as they all made their way to the amphitheater. They listened to Ozpin's speech very carefully.

"But no matter which you choose, be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best," The headmaster finished his speech then leaving the stage.

"Perfect, all we have to do is shadow someone covering the southeast," Ruby quickly explained to everyone.

"Yeah," Yang said getting excited for the next few days. "We'll follow them through the day and give them the slip at night."

"Might as well check search and destroy," Weiss suggested as they all looked at the search and destroy missions. They found a mission and tried to sign up for it but were denied access.

"Crap," Strom muttered as Yang placed her hand on his shoulder making him feel a little better.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked everyone looking for suggestions. "I have nothing."

"We mail ourselves there," Ruby said with a little sarcasm.

"Oh, we can totally do that and learn how Zwei was able to get it done with no problems," Strom said as Prof. Ozpin came up behind them.

"That is one way to get there," he said as he got closer. "Unfortunately we decided that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact I have the idea that the five of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

When that line was said everyone looked towards their leader who could not keep the information to herself.

"Whatever makes say that?" Ruby tried to play it off as ignorance.

"I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to be at the docks last semester, and I wonder why witnesses were talking about seeing rose petals and robots at a dance club sometime ago," Ozpin said as Ruby tried to make up a story. "I doubt that I'll ever find the answers I'm looking for. So, how about this, instead of waiting for the rules to be broken by you all, why don't we just bend them now?"

He activated the mission for team RWBY and saw how everyone lit up with joy.

"We won't let you down," Ruby said hoping to make him happy and end the conversation. "Thank you professor."

"Do not thank me," He warned them all. "Outside of these walls the world will not care about teamwork or persistence. Stay close to your huntsman at all times. And do exactly as he says, for he can and will send you all back to beacon early should he find your skills unsatisfactory. Good luck."

"That's not exactly something to get excited for," Yang said as everyone walked towards the airships.

"Yeah, but it's the truth," Blake said speaking from experience.

"Blake and I know a little about what it's actually like outside the walls of Vale," Strom said walking next to Yang.

"Well we can get through this as a team and we will do great," Ruby said getting herself pumped up for the mission as a student rushed by shouting something about coffee. They rushed over to check on Velvet.

"Velvet, are you okay?" Blake asked concerned for the team that had to be out there an extra week.

"I'm fine I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me," She said as she gestured to the giant of a man that passed them by.

"I wonder if he's done growing," Strom said noticing how tall the man was.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago," Weiss said a little concerned and curious to figure out why. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Velvet said before she explained why they were held back. "There were just so many. Don't worry; you all are just shadowing huntsmen, so you're fine."

"Right," Yang said as she stretched the word out knowing what they plan to do.

"Well, I have to go now. Good luck," Velvet said as she ran to catch up with her team. The others were in silence concerned with what was out there.

"We can do this," Ruby said getting everyone's attention. We've never backed down before and we're not going to start now. Besides it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting with a genuine huntsman!"

Their flames of excitement were quickly put out once they learned who their huntsman was. Ruby and Yang looked disappointed at who they saw, Weiss seemed to shut down with disbelief, Blake was hoping for more than what she saw, and Strom was trying to comfort Yang, he was actually fine with the huntsman provided.

"Why hello girls, and boy," Doctor Oobleck said with enthusiasm. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"I am ready," Strom said getting a glare from the rest of the team including his girlfriend. "What? I'm just stating that I am indeed ready to fight for our lives."

"Excellent, we can talk about the mission as we board the bullhead," Doctor Oobleck said as he zipped to the airship.

"Well we're saving the world with Doctor Oo- yeah when I say it out loud it only sounds worse," Ruby said trying to salvage their spirit but was soon crushed by disappointment.

"Saving the world," Nora shouted as JNPR was right behind them. "You're going on world-saving mission without us? I'm hurt and sad! Maybe a little hungry but the last one is not my fault though, Ren!"

"Sounds exciting," Jaune stated. Where are you all going?"

"Outside the kingdom," Ruby said calmly.

"Hey, so are we," Nora said excited.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village," Pyrrha said as she placed her hand on her hips.

"We head out tomorrow," Ren said with a face that rarely changed. Sun and Neptune joined the conversation for a little bit before Oobleck notified that they were behind schedule.

"Well, wish us luck," Ruby said hoping that they would since they would need all the luck they could get.

"Well this is going to be a long flight," Oobleck said notifying the students. "Probably enough time for a story. Does anyone have one they would like to share?"

"So Strom, what happened to you to quit the violin?" Ruby asked a sensitive question remembering what the letter he received had mentioned.

"Ruby, it's not polite to ask about his past or put him on the spotlight," Weiss interjected before Dr. Oobleck added to the conversation.

"I have always wondered myself about how you have earned the scar across your eyes," he said as Strom sighed while thinking about his position.

"Well, you all have seen it," he said thinking that its time they learned. "So it's time that you learned."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Yang said placing her hand on his shoulder and gave him a patient smile.

"Thanks, but I still think it's time," he said returning a smile towards Yang. "I can say is that because of this event I became a huntsman. This is the start of who I am today. I guess I'll start when I was about to start my first gig."

[13 Years ago.]

[Location: Patch.]

"Strom, sweetie, it's time to wake up," Strom's mother, Mona, said as she took care of the newly born Lily. "You have a big day ahead of you, so you need to practice once more before you get to play for an audience."

"Okay mom, I'm up," he said as he got out of bed excited for the day.

It was only a few months ago he picked up a small violin and played harmonious music out of it. After a few lessons the owner of the music store offered to help him on his way as a musician. Strom made friends in those classes. One friend he made was from a small group of White Fang members rallying support for a future protest on the main island of vale. He met someone who was about ten. He had red hair, red eyes, and had two horns sticking out of his head. His name was Adam Taurus. They gotten closer as Strom stopped by more frequently.

"Hey Adam, can you watch me play at the theater today?" Strom asked his friend. "It's going to be my first time playing for people and I would like you to be there."

"I don't think I will go if there is going to be humans there," Adam said as he held his weapons Wilt and Blush. "But do you think you can join the White Fang after your performance?"

"Sure, I'll even tell everybody that I am," Strom promised his friend the night before his performance. "I have to go, bye."

"Strom it's almost time to go," his mother said before getting a phone call. "Hello? This is her. He's in the hospital! Okay, I'll be right over."

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Strom asked not knowing what was going on.

"Mommy has to go and meet daddy okay, but go over to the music place across the street and perform," his mother said as she started to tear up. He left the house not wanting to bother his mother anymore.

He was at the theater, nervous of how people will react to his performance. Adam had actually shown up to the performance. After the performance was over the Strom's music teacher notified him about what happened to his father. There was a Grimm attack in the mines and he lost his right leg, but he killed the Ursa that attacked them. Everyone else was fine. Strom wanted to check on his dad after his performance but Adam stood in his way.

"Strom are you forgetting something?" Adam asked on stage in front of Strom, blocking the exit.

"What's that filthy Faunus doing on stage?" A random man said gaining the attention of the two. "Get that animal out of here."

"Tch, I'll show you human," Adam shouted showing his weapon and unsheathed it. He would have just scared off the person but Strom had gotten in his way. "Get out of the way Strom, this is my problem."

"Don't hurt anyone, please," Strom pleaded with his friend whose hair was glowing, and face contorted into rage and hatred.

"Don't you dare defend these humans," Adam snarled as he swung his sword at Strom's face cutting across his eyes horizontally. He froze after the cut was done as he heard his friend scream loudly, in pain, pain that he caused onto another Faunus, his friend. "What have I done?"

People rushed to the aid of the injured child. Adam ran away in tears hoping that he wouldn't be caught. He could believe that he hurt his friend. As Strom was rushed to the hospital two people had activated his aura, a woman with a white cloak and her husband. They were trying to keep him still and rushed him to the hospital. Strom wouldn't stay still, when he was sedated which took a while due to the high adrenaline in the system. The doctors tried their best to fix the damage, but it was too late. When Strom woke up his family was there although he could not see anything or anyone.

"There's my little guppy," Strom's father, Darrel, said as he wheeled himself over to his now blind son. "I know that it's going to be hard times for a while, but we will bounce back from this."

"I can't believe that this happened," Strom's mother said as she hugged Strom tightly. "I'm so sorry this happened."

"That's fine, I'm sure that I'll be able to see again once I'm all better," Strom said thinking that he could get better.

"Strom, the doctor said that it was too late, you won't be able to see again," his father said saddened that his there was no recovering. "I know that it's hard to take in but we'll support you Strom. We love you very much."

"I'll… never see again?" Strom said getting sad and angry. The temperature rose and his semblance activated for the first time unchecked. The fire started spontaneous but was slow to grow. "This isn't fair! I want to see again!"

The doctors brought a fire extinguisher and more tranquilizers to sedate the raging Strom back to sleep. Once he woke up again and sat up in his bed he heard a new voice.

"Ahh, you're up now," A voice he didn't recognize yet, but would learn from in due time. "How are you Strom?"

"Who are you? And where is my family?" he said angrily since he reminded himself that he was blind.

"Rest easy, they are sleeping quietly," the voice said knowing that he must be a little frightened. "As for my name, you can call me Trent, or Elder Trent. I have heard a lot about you Strom, and I wish to say I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"Well I'll never see again," Strom said loudly waking up his parents.

"Strom it's three A.M. please let us sleep longer," His mother pleaded, before seeing the new face. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"My name is Trent, as for why I am here, Strom, I have heard what has happened and I sensed great potential from you to learn from the village," he explained to everyone awake. "I want to help you Strom become a very helpful person for the world."

"How can I do that if I can't see?" Strom interjected before the kind man could continue. "How can I help anyone if I can't even count how many people might be in this room?"

"Strom maybe you should be quiet and listen to what he has to say," his father said making his son go quiet.

"Sorry," Strom muttered. "I'm just angry."

"Its fine, but I would like to show you something," Elder Trent said as he walked over towards Strom. "Would you care to take my hand?"

Strom was hesitant at first, concerned about what he would not see, but curiosity got the better of him as he extended his hand out and was met by a warm touch of another hand that was holding a lot of power and experience. Strom then was able to see everything in the room.

"I can see again, am I cured?" Strom asked looking at the man who had gave him sight again.

"Well no, physically you are still blind," the elder states. "However I can teach you how to see like this. It will take a while to learn but I promise you that you can see like this."

"Can we start soon?" Strom asked excited about seeing again.

"Well how about we all get some rest and talk more about it in the morning?" The elder asked before falling asleep instantly.

"Well, looks like we'll discuss it more in the morning Strom," his dad said before closing his eyes. "Good night guppy, we love you very much."

"Okay, good night, I love you too," Strom said to his dad as his mother has already fallen back to sleep.

When the sun rose later in the morning everyone talked about the options that Strom had for what he could do with his life.

"You get to choose what to do Strom," the elder reminded him of the choices. "You can come with me to the village, train in our ways and become a man who fights for those who cannot defend themselves against Grimm, or you can choose to stay here with your family and live a normal life. The choice is up to you."

"Strom we want this to be your choice, so whatever you choose to do, we'll support you," his mother said as she tried to fight back the thought of her son going away so soon.

"Just like your mother said. We will support you no matter what," his father said comforting his wife. "It's up to you, I was hoping that your life would give you a chance to choose later, but life is unpredictable and unfair so this is the first choice you must make."

"Then… I choose… to go with Trent," Strom said as he started to walk towards the elder. "Will I be able to see and leave when my training is done?"

"Of course you can leave when you're finished," Trent said with a smile. "Now we will have to travel far to reach the village, so I will give you some time to prepare."

"Okay, I'll go pack up then," Strom said as he and his parents went to go pack.

"Strom, I want you have this and wear it whenever you want," his father said as he pulled out a white cloth and handed it to his son. "It's called a sarong and you wear it around your waist. Take good care of it and remember us while you train."

"I will daddy, thank you," he said as he started to cry. "I'm going to miss you a lot."

"We will all miss you too, because you are our little guppy," his mother said as they all cried for a few minutes. "Well, we shouldn't keep the kind man waiting."

They met up with the Elder and said their goodbyes to each other, and Strom headed towards to the village with the elder by foot.

[Present Time]

"That's how I earned this scar and started my path to become who I am today," Strom said as Blake looked pale white after learning that it was her former partner when she was in the White Fang.

"Well, that is certainly a story to be told," Doctor Oobleck said as he went back to talk to the pilot.

"Pfft, little guppy?" Weiss tried her best not to laugh but was terrible at it. "I'm sure you must have been adorable to get a nickname like that."

"Well I think that I'll change it up a little," Yang said as she thought of some nicknames for her boyfriend. "Hm, I think you would fit as a… Sunfish!"

"Ooh, I like that," Strom said as he turns to Blake feeling that something was bothering her. "Hey are you okay, Blake?"

"Oh uh, yes I'm fine just still having the first mission shivers," she lied to her team. "I was just worried about the idea of possibly not meeting up to Oobleck's standards."

"Well rest assured Ms. Belladonna, that you will all be fine if you listen to everything I have to say," the energetic huntsman said. "That being said, we are here."

"Oh boy," Ruby said with silver eyes that shone like stars. "Our first mission as huntresses."

"And hunter," Strom added. "Remember I'm still here and you just jumped out."

"Just a while ago actually," doctor Oobleck said as he looked at his watch. "And we are going to be six minutes late from our initial start time so we must go now."

As everyone started to land onto the ground they were on, they took a pose. Oobleck landed behind them and Strom landed too hard and broke through the ceiling on a building.

"I'm okay," he said as everyone looked up the hole he made. "I don't think this is a good start for me."

"You would be correct, but I know that we all get excited so I'll let it pass," Oobleck said letting everyone else sigh in relief. "Hurry up and get over here we are going to be seven minutes late from our schedule."

"I'm here," Strom announced as Oobleck turned towards the leader of the team.

"Miss Rose, I thought I told you to leave you bags back at school," he scolded.

"But, you didn't tell us to listen to you yet, so I didn't," Ruby said as everyone else started to lower their head. Oobleck wanted to argue, but then came to a different conclusion.

"She's not wrong," he murmured. "Very well leave it here we can pick it up on our way back."

"But, umm," Ruby stammered trying to think of something that could pass as an excuse.

"Young lady, what could be in the bag that is so important that you would need to bring it with-" the doctor said as Zwei popped his head out of the bag. Ruby whispered to the dog as everyone else was dashing their hopes of searching goodbye. "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle filled with death and hostility and you brought a dog? Genius! Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!"

"I'm a genius," Ruby pointed to herself full of pride as everyone pressed their temples on their head.

"You're lucky that didn't send us back," Strom said before Blake cleared her throat.

"What are your orders, doctor?" she asked hoping to get his mind off of the dog.

"Straight to the point, I like it," he said as he dropped the dog. "As you know this area has been marked as a very active spot as of late for Grimm. Now there are several possibilities for this behavior one of which being-"

"Grimm," Strom interrupted. "One hundred yards behind us, a pack of Ursai one-fifty to our right, more Beowolves two hundred yards behind us and a Goliath outside the city line. The Goliaths are just a guess but, I saw a big leg enter my field of vision for a second then left."

"What," Yang shouted as everyone turned around to find a lone Grimm. Then more came into view.

"And now they've seen us," Oobleck said Strom got ready to fight.

"What," Weiss said as she turned to Strom. "I thought you said there was only one."

"I just said Grimm, I never specified how many," he said in a serious tone, one that harbors anger towards Grimm.

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck shouted making sure that Weiss's ear functioned.

"What do we do then?" Yang asked waiting for her orders.

"Show me what you're capable of," he said and sipped his thermos.

Needless to say that it was a complete slaughter of Grimm. Weiss could cut through them with her rapier, just like Ruby and Blake. Yang snapped the necks of those she punched. Strom had kicked one hard enough to split it in half, then grabbed another by the neck and sent a stream of flames into the beast's face, making it squirm in pain but stopped a second later.

"Piece of cake," Ruby said seeing the battlefield.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Oobleck warned. "I'm certain that this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?"

As the day continued the fading Grimm corpses grew, so did the exhaustion of everyone except Oobleck and Strom.

"Good work," Oobleck said and turned to keep going. "Now, moving on."

"Hey doc, I was really looking forward to be seeing a pro huntsman in action," Yang said upset that she hasn't seen any help from the investigating huntsman. "Maybe to show us how it's done or to help us."

"Ah, but remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it," Oobleck said as he turned back towards Yang. "I do hope you understand that."

As the killing continued Doctor Oobleck decided to ask questions to Yang, Blake, and Weiss about why they wanted to do this line of work. After a while it was starting to get dark and they set up camp. Strom and Yang provided the fire with the courtesy of using books. Ruby set to be on first watch.

"Dang, I ran out of water hours ago," Strom said to himself trying to remember how many hours it's been. _'I'll try and see if I can drink water from the ice that Weiss makes tomorrow when I wake up.'_

A few hours later Strom woke up with Ruby when Zwei ran out the building to relieve himself. Strom walked over to Yang and sat down next to her.

"Well, I think Ruby may have found the secret base we have been looking for," Strom said as he held Yang's hand as she started to drift off to sleep, but was suddenly awoken by Strom, who was panicked. "Everyone get up and arm up, Ruby fell down a hole in the road."

"The Underground city of Mountain Glenn, how could I be so stupid?" Oobleck shouted as he explained to everyone on the way there.

"How could I have not thought about expanding my vision to go underneath us?" Strom shouted at himself angrily.

They crashed through any walls, and any locked doors that the White Fang tried to use to keep them out, but that wouldn't stop Yang or anyone else from reaching Ruby. After a while they reunited with their leader and we're warned about the train that was starting to leave.

"We're stopping that train," Ruby said as they all rushed to get on the running train. They learned that all the train cars have bombs and are leading Grimm to the main city. They rushed to stop the train.

"You four go below and defuse bombs, Ruby, you and I will be running towards the front to stop this train," Oobleck said proudly.

Once they head down they were met by Neo. Weiss and Blake went on past her as Yang began fighting Neo. Strom went to the past cars and started throwing bombs out the cars, blowing up Grimm in the process.

"Woot," He shouted seeing Grimm exploding. "Maybe I should get a weapon?"

His cries of victory were short lived as two things happened. The first being that he realized that he has gone six hours without water; the second was that Yang was in trouble see that she just hit the ceiling. He rushed up the cars breaking everything in his way. When he reached the car that Yang was in, he was met with Neo walking over to Yang, unsheathing her sword.

"Don't you dare," he said as Neo stopped to look who else she had to play with. Her grin was slowly fading seeing that he had one himself. "It's rude to kill someone without saying hello to your guests."

He rushed in faster than she predicted and met a fist that connected with her cheek, leaving a bruise. She sheathed her sword and was ready to go on the defensive. He rushed in again and Yang started to regain consciousness. She saw Strom fighting Neo as they traded blows. Neo then was quick to kick Strom in the head, hard. He just laughed as he kicked Neo in the side and into the all of the car. He knocked the weapon out of her hands and grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall making her vision go hazy for a while. She tried to use her semblance to get away, but couldn't.

"Awww, you want to try and run away now do you?" Strom said faking his sadness as he broke out into a grin. "Why would you want to run? Don't you want to say hi to the boyfriend of the girl you wanted to kill?"

Her face started to show signs of fear as she saw his expression darken and his hand heat up slowly. Her saving grace came from an unexpected source. Yang grabbed him and twisted his arm to release Neo, who quickly vanished.

"What is wrong with you?" Yang shouted as she saw him collapse. She carried him to get closer to the others as they met up with Ruby on top of the train. "Anyone have water? Strom isn't looking so good."

"I can melt some quickly," Weiss said as she started to melt ice in a bottle for the unconscious teammate. After a few seconds she handed the bottle to Yang and she gently placed his head on her lap and started to get him drinking. A moment passed and he woke up and started to down the rest of the bottle.

"Thank you I 'really' needed that," he said with a smile as he started to notice something. "We're going to crash into a wall soon."

"Any plans?" Blake asked looking at Weiss who made an ice shield before they crashed through the wall. When they got up Grimm started to pour into the city. Team RWBY was soon met with JNPR, the Atlas military force, Cinder and her group and CFVY. People were hurt but stayed alive thanks to everyone that took action. Now the one problem still stood about the hole that was releasing Grimm into the area.

"I've got this," Strom said as he placed his hands over the hole where Grimm would come out. "Burn and never return."

He released a fire so strong that Grimm would die and disappear in an instant. He sensed that there was a mass of Grimm that seemed to be moving closer to the hole. Strom released more force into his flames. The flames started to turn colors, from red to blue. The mass of Grimm disappeared from the new intensity of the flames that Strom was producing. Professor Goodwitch made her way over to the hole and sealed it closed. Everyone started to cheer and relax. Later on Strom activated his semblance and saw that his fire was blue.

"Blue, like the ocean," he said as he rested his head on Yang's shoulder and put out the flame. "Well, we did it. We have Torchwick behind bars."

"So what now?" Yang asked as she placed her hand on Strom's hand and they entwined fingers.

"Well, I would say train for the festival, but I think we have that covered," Weiss said.

"Maybe get some sleep?" Ruby suggested to everyone. The answers she got was that the team stood up and walked to their dorm for sleep.

As they reached the dorm Strom got a message from Ozpin asking him to come to his office. Strom sighed and let everyone know what was going on as he started to head up to the tower. When he got to the base he noticed a room beneath him. Inside that room seemed to be some machines and a person. He knew a question that he will ask the headmaster when he reached the office.

"Ah, Strom, It's good to see you," Ozpin said taking a sip from his mug. "I take it that your mission was successful?"

"Well, elimination of Grimm, yes, making sure that everyone was safe, well they lived," Strom said as he walked to the desk. "But do you know what I found out while I was walking here?"

"Is that you have a question for me?" Ozpin guessed as he had something that he had to tell Strom.

"Yes, while I was walking to the tower I noticed a room underground with some machines but as I looked harder there was a person down there as well," Strom said. "So who is down there and why are they down there?"

"That's two questions Strom," Ozpin said as he took another sip. "I'll answer that later but I want to let you know that you will not be taking part of the Vytal festival with your team this year, next year yes, but this year no."

"Wait, why?" Strom asked sadly.

"Well you have been challenged to a one on one portion of the Vytal festival," Ozpin said causing the student to calm down and cheer up slightly. "You will be facing your challenger from Signal academy. And your fight will be after the first round where the entire team fights."

"Okay, I understand and will be fine about this," Strom said then remembering his question. "But who is down underneath the tower and why?"

"I guess then I will have to answer your question with another question," Ozpin said as he placed his cup down. "What is you favorite fairy tale?"

 **(Wow that happened. Next week's story will be uploaded on the 16** **th** **of October. I hope you all have enjoyed and I'll give you a taste of next week.)**

" _So, this is Aria huh?"_

" _Greetings children, I am Elder Trent."_

" _Strom, I think you're ready for this."_

" _YANG NOOO!"_

 **( Granted they might not be in order that I showed them. Hope to see you next week :) bye.)**


	13. Chapter 12

**(Hey, I just want to say thank you all for over 5000 views…. I never even would have counted to that much. Anyways here is the next chapter and I have some information at the end.)**

Chapter 12: The Mysterious Aria

"What?" Weiss shouted at Strom. "What do you mean you're going away?"

"I said that I was going away to the village that I trained in," he said covering his ears from the high pitch shrills that Weiss gave out. "Ozpin has granted everyone time off due to the breach, so I planned to visit the village and visit a friend."

"Oh do you think you can take us there?" Ruby asked hoping that she could see where Strom grew up. "I always wondered what a place it is like there."

"My guess is that it's quiet there, and quite more peaceful too," Weiss said as she thought about and compared where she grew up to where Strom grew up. "I think that the village would have village buildings there, but I can't say for certain."

"What is everyone like there?" Blake asked having high hopes that the village is free of discrimination. "Any other Faunus there?"

"Well, there are a few there," Strom said trying to remember. "The village doesn't have a lot of people inside, but everyone is kind towards one and another. If you are a visitor or a Faunus, everyone will treat you kindly."

"Well that's good to know," Yang said as she hopped on Strom's back and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. "What can we do for fun there? Rake sand? Balance on rocks? Clean the dojo?"

"Well there is a spring that we can relax at. Granted that it's public and not really a hot spring," Strom said adjusting himself to Yang hopping on him. "There is also one day a month we perform the test of time. I wonder if they have done that yet."

"Test of time? What's that?" Ruby asked interested in the test. "What do you do during the test?"

"Well, we enter the cavern and try to defeat the shadow imitation of what we fear to become," Strom explained. "It's a test of how long you can fight, but I think the more important part is can you defeat the shadows of doubt within you and achieve a new power."

"New power, what is that power?" Yang asked getting off of his back. "That was comfortable and nice for me. I'll let you have a try sometime."

"My turn," Ruby shouted as she raced onto Strom wrapping her legs around his stomach and waved her hands in the air. "I don't get it Yang. How is this comfortable?"

"You have to lean onto him to feel the full effect," Yang said as she gestured with her hands. "Trust me you could fall asleep on him if you are there long enough."

"Oh, he's so warm. Zwei, come to me," Ruby said as Zwei came running towards the reaper and landed on both shoulders. "Who's a good boy? You are. So when do we get to leave?"

"Well I have to bring a teacher along as well," Strom said gaining a sigh from everyone. "Don't worry we can all collaborate on choosing the best teacher to go with us. Otherwise we leave tomorrow, so rest up for that."

"Well how about Doctor Oobleck?" Yang suggested and looked at everyone to see how they respond. "We all are more used to him and I think that he would be able to enjoy the history of the area if there is any."

"Well The only history that he would have to learn is how the village got started and why we keep the village unknown to the rest of the world," Strom said as he heard snoring behind him. "Well Ruby just fell asleep, and so did Zwei. Yang, I might need some help getting the two off."

Yang laughed to herself as she saw how adorable her sister looked right now. She picked up Ruby and Zwei and placed them on the bed. "I don't think Ruby will mind about which teacher we bring so long as they won't make her bored, so no Port."

"I think we all do not want Port to be there," Weiss said shuddering about the idea of having Port with them only to tell stories of his past. "And I don't think that Oobleck would be a great idea either. He's too jittery and probably wouldn't be able to hold back on asking questions to the people there."

"Well, how about Professor Goodwitch?" Blake suggested after putting her book down. "She's level headed, can help with any training we do, and is the person who deserve a break the most."

"Hmm, I can see your points there Blake," Strom said as he thought about the idea. "She may lighten up a little while we're there."

"I think that I can live with the idea of her coming with us," Yang said now petting the sleeping Zwei. "Besides I think that with this she might just learn to relax a little as well as get some well earned time off."

"Well, Goodwitch isn't my first choice, but she is better than Port," Weiss said before tending to her finger nails. "So the big issue is who do we send to ask her?"

"Well that's no problem," Yang said as she grinned at Strom. "We just send Strom to go ask. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Ahh, I guess to protect the one's I love I must make a noble sacrifice," He said as he walked over to Yang and pressed his forehead against hers gently. "But I think that Goodwitch shouldn't be too hard to ask."

He leaves to go talk about the offer to Prof. Goodwitch and was really excited about heading back to the village. Weiss just looked towards Yang, who was just content with how things were. A big hint was the blush of her cheeks.

"You know if Goodwitch comes you won't be able to show much affection towards Strom, right?" Weiss asked Yang thinking that Yang would like to make all sorts of advances on Strom.

"Well, I wasn't planning on anything more than a few kisses here and there, but maybe not in front of Prof. Goodwitch," Yang thought to herself as she poked Ruby's cheek. "But I think we can survive some time without publically showing off that we're together."

"That's pretty mature of you," Blake said as she returned to her book. "I hope that Strom doesn't have any trouble with asking."

Prof. Goodwitch was finishing up paperwork when someone had knocked on her door. She sighed when the knocking continued. She just wanted to have a chance to have some peace in her life.

"Come in," she called out before the door opened. "Ah, Mr. Teitsia, what can I help you with today?"

"Well I was wondering if I could ask you to come with us to the village that I grew up in," he said gaining her full attention. "We thought about asking you because we thought that it might be nice for you to get out once in a while."

"And where is this village's location at?" she asked curious to find out where they were going.

"I can't show you on a map," he said in a serious tone. "I have sworn to keep the village's location to secrecy, but they are always happy to meet outsiders from the world."

"Then why keep the place a secret?" She asked frustrated at how a village would like privacy yet be open for people. "Why can't you show anyone where it is?"

"We protect everyone from the threat inside the village," he answered knowing the threat that lives inside the village. "Everyone has been trying to get rid of the threat for years. We try to keep casualties to a minimum, but sometimes we're not lucky enough."

"Why is this thing such a threat to everyone?" She asked trying to figure out what the threat is. "Surely, we can get a group of trained huntsman and take out this threat."

"Unfortunately we have tried that before but it just takes on the skill levels of everything it sees combined," he said remembering the loss. "We lost two elders and three students that night. So we just send in one person at a time and when they knock we enter. However we wait until the sun comes up the next day only to find the corpse of those who couldn't defeat it."

"I understand, but why are we going there then?" she asked trying to find the answer she needs. "Why are we going to go to the village?"

"The truth is that I feel something happening there," he said as he faced the window to look far off into the distance. "If I could tell you what it is I would, but I don't know but I feel as if I have to be there when it happens. But I will tell you that I feel as everything will be fine. We will be able to relax in peace."

"Does your team know about this?" she asked looking at him with a glare that seemed to be able to tear anything apart. "They deserve to know."

"They do know, I just didn't tell them how bad of a threat it is because I won't let them enter," he said unable to face the gaze. "But our main plan is to relax and learn at the village."

"And what does this village have for relaxation? Meditation?" The professor asked sarcastically.

"Well there's that, the springs, the caves and training," he said numbering the ideas that he thought were fun on his fingers. "So I know that I dropped some heavy information here, but, would you like to come with us?"

"Hmm," she pondered to herself about the idea and the risk of the threat. "Alright then, I guess I can use some time off from paperwork and 'other things'."

"That's wonderful to know," Strom said with his grin, happy to see someone get a chance to relax. "The airship will leave for nine AM tomorrow. Be sure to pack for the warmth."

Before she could say anything he had left through the door. Leaving her alone in silence to process what had just happened. A smile started to form on her face. A chance for her to relax literally walked through the door, and she took it. She let Ozpin know what was going on and started packing.

When the time came for them to leave on the airship, JNPR came to see them off. Ozpin was there to see them off as well. They were heading off to the mysterious village of Aria. During the flight Strom made a specific area for the pilot to land in order to keep the village off the map. After joining the others to talk about what they would do there he decided to take a nap knowing that it would be some time before landing. As he drifted off to sleep Yang sat next to him to make sure that he wouldn't sleep in a wrong position. While he dreamed he met someone he hasn't seen in a long time.

' _Hey, you look like you're happy,'_ Azure said with a smile. _'I also see that you are more powerful now. So first thing is first, how is Yang treating you?'_

' _Azure, you're here!'_ He said returning a smile. _'Yang is very nice to be around. I'm sure you two would have been great friends.'_

' _Maybe, who knows?'_ She said as she got a serious look in her eyes. _'So, you're coming back to the village. Do you think that you can stop it? You have to remember that it takes your skill and turns it against you.'_

' _Yes, I know that,'_ he said as he paced back and forth in the plane of emptiness. _'I just wish that you were still around, and got to live your life as well. I met your sister Cinder.'_

' _Oh how is she doing? I was separated from her a long time ago,'_ she asked getting really close to his face. _'How did she take the news about my passing? She must have been heartbroken.'_

' _She didn't show much emotion besides shock,'_ he said remembering the night after the dance. _'I think deep down, she was sad and trying to be strong for you.'_

' _Well, since you can see me when you meditate as you sleep, maybe I could be able to see her again,'_ she mused, thinking about how it would work. _'I think that one of the elders know to project meditation. I hope that you are able to learn how to do it.'_

' _I will learn how to do it Azure, I promise,'_ he said facing her. _'I want to destroy the threat first, so that we no longer have to live in fear about the loss of life.'_

' _Strom, I want you to promise me two things,'_ she said looking off into the distance away from him. _'The first promise I want you to make is no matter what, keep my sister safe from all harm. The second is actually more of a request. But, how good are you with the katana?'_

' _Well, I have been studying it alongside with the fighting techniques I have learned. Although I haven't had a sword to practice with for a while, I still retain all the information that I have learned,'_ he said as she just smiled. _'But why do you ask?'_

' _I want you to take Ocean's Curse out to the world, Strom,'_ she said as she started to tear up. _'I want you to have my katana and travel the world with it. Meet new people, slay countless Grimm. I want you to take this piece of me and let me be able to experience the things I missed out on.'_

' _Azure, are you sure?'_ He asked and was given a teary eyed nod in return. _'Then I will retrieve your weapon and fulfill your request. But, when I am done with all of it, I plan to return the sword to you.'_

' _Oh Strom, you never had any idea how I loved you like a younger brother,'_ she said as more tears fell. _'I always planned to give you Ocean's Curse from the start. I wanted to become strong so that I could protect you. But I think that I will leave Yang to protect you.'_

' _Azure,'_ he said as he tried to get closer to her but it was time for them to say goodbye.

' _Goodbye, Strom, it's time that you woke up,'_ she said as she tilted her head a little and smiled as he felt an earthquake happen and his name being called.

"Strom, wake up sleepyhead we're here at the drop off," Yang said lightly shaking her boyfriend. "So wake up, drink some water and show us the way."

"We're at the drop off?" he asked receiving nods from everyone. "Okay then, prepare to drop off. Also prepare for the heat, it's going to be hot and dense."

They jumped down from the airship into the lush green canopy that covered the area. When they all landed they all felt the heat and humidity of the forest quickly cover them all in sweat.

"Ugghh, I knew it was going to be hot, but this is intense," Ruby complained as she fanned herself with her hands. "How much longer until we get there?"

"It will be a few hours," Strom said as he scanned the area for Grimm. "Ok, anyone who would like to change is free to do so. No Grimm in sights."

Everyone sighed in relief; even Prof. Goodwitch had a small sigh as everyone began to change to be comfortable in the weather. Yang cleared her throat before she spoke. "That reminds me, are we going to finish up that lesson of how to see like how you do?"

"Well, since we will be there for a while it wouldn't hurt to learn your technique," Blake said now in a white short sleeved shirt and black shorts. "I also see why you would like to dress that way."

"Let me guess," Weiss said in a sad tone, dressed in a white sundress. "The village doesn't have air conditioning, does it?"

"Your guess is correct," Strom said pleased by her correct guess. "We don't have air conditioning, but where the village lives has much cooler air than here since it is in a cave."

"Well are the caves filled with mud?" Yang asked getting an idea of how to stay cool. "Because I think some mud wrestling will keep us cool."

"While that is one way to keep cool, I don't think that would be a good idea since you would track mud through the area," he said as they started their trek once again. "Some might see it as trouble to clean up."

"Awe, but I thought that they would appreciate us-" Yang started to say a pun but was quickly interrupted by Ruby.

"Yang. Don't. You. Dare," she said looking at her sister with an intent attack. "You will face pillow justice when we get back if you finish that sentence."

"Embracing our 'earthly' world," Yang finished her pun as Ruby got a little upset. Strom laughed and everyone else sighed in agony. "Don't think I will accept pillow justice lying down."

"YANG NOOO!" Ruby cried out anger. As she began to playfully

"Alright, moving on," Prof Goodwitch said trying to get to the village before the sun went down or Grimm got to attack them. "So where do we have to go from here?"

"Well we have to find the cave first and that is the start of the maze to get to the village," he informed all of them as he searched for the signs to find the entrance. "Aha, there the first sign."

They continued to follow Strom for thirty minutes until they all found the cave he had been talking about. It had a small entrance and was quiet concealed to the eye. The entrance had some symbols to which only Strom could read.

"To those who read this welcome back to Aria," he read out loud. "We'll be in the caves for a little while so it'll be dark and it will be cool too, but I have a way to deal with that."

They started to walk through the caves and true to what he said the temperature dropped fast. Everyone started to shiver and try nearly anything to stay warm. Strom activated his semblance to spread a warm heat over the rest of the group. They continued to follow him for an hour before finding a light at the end of the tunnel. When all of them came out of the cave they were met with a view of the village. The light that they saw was a giant yellow glowing crystal up in the middle of the ceiling. They also spotted many glowing blue crystals that held a little light to them. The grass was lush, green, and healthy as were some of the trees that were there. Everyone felt a breeze came from the forest on the side of the village. They also noticed a blocked off entrance to someplace only Strom knew.

"So, this is Aria, huh," Yang said pointing out the obvious. "It's a really nice place. The grass is comforting, the lights are beautiful, and the breeze is gorgeous to feel."

"Well, as beautiful as this place is, I know that you still are more beautiful," Strom said as he faced Yang and held her hands causing the both of them to blush.

"As much as I appreciate a good romance, I would suggest that the both of you shouldn't display it in front of your Professor," Goodwitch said causing them both to freeze up and slowly face her with fear written all over their faces. "Just remember that. So, now what do we do?"

"Well, I would think that strangers should introduce themselves to some of the people here and not continue to look like they might be planning something sinister. Though I may have to ask why you all are dressed like that," Strom knew all too well the voice that approached in between them and the village. An elderly man who looked like he was fifty, with gray hair and beard that looked to be trimmed nicely. A brown loose shirt and sweatpants, the man wore and had a green sash going over his left shoulder going across and circling the right side of his waist. He met them all with a warm smile. "Greetings children, I am Elder Trent. It's good to see you here again Strom."

"It's always nice to see you Elder Trent," Strom said as he presented everyone and made their names known. "This little adorableness is my leader, Ruby Rose. Standing next to her is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. The one who is hiding behind her book is Blake Belledonna. The very kind person who took their time out of their busy schedule to be here with us is our Professor of sparring and combat, Glynda Goodwitch. And finally I would like to present Yang Xiao Long, teammate and girlfriend."

"It's so nice to meet all of you and I must admit Strom, I thought you would wait later to find someone, but this is how life works, mysterious and unpredictable," Trent said looking at his student with a look of surprise. "With that out of the way, how long are you all going to stay with us?"

"We should be here for about a week," Prof. Goodwitch said adjusting her glasses. "I never thought that finding this place would be so easy to access and yet concealed cleverly."

"We don't like keeping the village a secret, but we must," the Elder said sadly knowing why the reason is along with Strom. "But let's get you all to the dojo for your stay for the week."

"And while we get to the dojo you can tell us why the village must be kept a secret," Weiss said as she pointed to Strom. "I think you have kept us in the dark long enough."

"Weiss don't you think that's being a little harsh?" Blake asked putting the book away. "I understand being frustrated with being left in the dark but you were a little harsh there."

"Well it's been bugging me for a while," Weiss said as she rubbed her arm anxiously. "We've known that the village must be kept a secret, but why is the bigger question."

"Well you all deserve to know why then," Strom said as he told everyone there the same thing he told his Professor that night before leaving for the village. "So until we get rid of the being, the village will stay unknown to the rest of the world for its own protection."

"It's sad that lives were lost to the creature, and are you sure it's not Grimm?" Ruby asked wondering what is the creature is.

"I have never seen this thing for myself so I can't answer you," Strom said looking towards Elder Trent. "Elder Trent, do you know what the creature looks like?"

"The creature that we can't seem to find a way to defeat is a creature of complete shadows. It doesn't have the red eyes of Grimm or have and bone plates on it," Elder Trent said scratching his beard. "The creature has been here for generations and it takes shape of whatever it sees. On its own I know not it's true from. Well here we are at the dojo. Make yourselves comfortable and Strom, we will make dinner for tonight."

"Ooh, sounds nice, what are we making?" Strom asked as he placed his bag down in the middle of the dojo and rushes over to start dinner. The rest of the visitors talked amongst each other and had beds made for them.

"So we're just going to sleep on mats on the floor," Weiss said looking at the mats with slight curiosity. "Where will Strom sleep?"

"I think that he already has a personal space due to his conditions," Ruby guessed. "He does need water."

"That he does Ruby," Elder Trent said as he brought over pillows for everyone. "He just usually sleeps in the springs."

"And when it gets cold?" Blake asked thinking that Strom would have a different strategy for the cold. "Unless he is able to use his semblance to always stay comfortable and… that clever man."

"That's my Sunfish," Yang said as she sat on the step of the dojo outside and watched the giant yellow crystal slowly lose the light as the blue crystals grew brighter. "This place is really beautiful. The atmosphere is relaxed and the nature that surrounds this village is breathtaking.

"I'm glad you like the nature as much as I do," the Elder said now standing next to her looking at the crystals. "Every time I see the same crystals I am always met with every night, I can't help but feel at ease and not needing any words to describe what I feel."

"Hey I have some stew ready," Strom called out to everyone. "Thanks to the gardens of Aria."

Everyone was having fun time learning about the village and the people who live here while they ate. Even Goodwitch was smiling through most of the dinner session. Which was very rare to see a smile on her at all, even when Pyrrha performs perfectly, she rarely smiles. After dinner Elder Trent and Prof. Goodwitch went into a private room to discuss about a concern that she has about Strom.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Ruby asked as she placed an ear towards the door trying to eavesdrop.

"Ruby we shouldn't bother them," Blake said as she grabbed her leader by the hood and carried her to the middle of the dojo room.

"I think that it's time for me to say hello to Azure again," Strom said as he started to walk out the dojo.

"I'll come with you Strom to meet Azure," Yang said as she got up and rushed to catch up to him. "You shouldn't have to go alone, especially when I'm here to be with you."

Strom just smiled and looked towards Yang. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

They took the hand of the other as they walked towards the graveyard. They were content with walking with each other as they got closer towards the grave. They both saw a green sheathed katana stuck in the ground. The katana's tsuka was blue, the tsuba and blade were blue as well.

"Hello Azure, I'm here again," Strom said as he entered meditation. "This is Yang, my teammate and girlfriend as well. I know that the two of you would have been great friends."

"Oh Strom, you keep going off of how I'm your girlfriend," she said trying to tease him. "You are telling the world that you love me correct?"

"And as I said once, you are my world," he said as he closed his eyes behind the band. "But that won't stop me from making sure that others don't try and think that they can take you. We were together first and I don't like people taking my loved ones."

"Awe, someone's a little jealous~," Yang sung as she bent over and kissed Strom up-side down. "But it means that you are worried but you're not obsessive about who I see. It's cute to me."

"Well, I don't want to lose you," Strom said focusing and entering meditation.

"And I don't want to lose you too," Yang said as she wrapped her arms gently around Strom and closed her eyes. She was then met with a new view. A blank White world with only herself, Strom and a little girl she never met. "Umm, hello can we help you? Or can you help us more exactly?"

"Wow Yang, how are you here?" Strom asked. "I didn't think that you would be here at all unless-"

"Oh Strom she is cute and adorable like you said," the little girl said as she ran up to the both of them. "Oh, I'm Azure Fall, by the way."

"Well my name is Yang, Yang Xiao Long," Yang said still surprised about the area. "So you are Azure, it is nice to meet you."

"Okay well I think a big question is how you are here with me?" Strom asked Yang.

"Hey my guess is as good as yours is," Yang said before turning back towards Azure. "Do you know why we're able to see and meet you?"

"Hey, I was only twelve when I passed away, and I don't seem to be able to consciously think when Strom isn't around, but I do see through him for some reason," Azure said playing with her shirt. "So Strom do you think that the creature will be defeated soon?"

"I don't know for certain, but I still feel the same way as I did the last time we met," Strom said feeling the same way he has felt for the past few nights. "Hmm, hey Yang, want to experiment something?"

"Uhh, sure what is it?" She asked wondering what it could be. When she blinked she was back at the graves with Strom still meditating. "Now how am I going to learn what it was?"

"Hey why did Yang just disappear?" Azure asked as she just saw yang fade out. "What did you do?"

"Well I wanted Yang to meet you, but I wasn't expecting her to be here," Strom said as he continued to explain. "I wished her to be here and as I thought about it, I thought that maybe I can select who comes in and who doesn't. So I tried to send Yang back and succeeded."

"Well that's really… yeah I'm sorry but I can't see how that can be really useful at all," Azure said as she shook her head in disbelief. "So back to the question, do you plan on fighting the creature yourself?"

"Yes I do, however I don't think that I'm ready yet," he said looking down to the ground.

"Strom you have managed to overcome every obstacle in your path so far," Azure said trying to make him cheer up. "Sure not every battle had gone your way but you managed to overcome everything, so Strom, I think you're ready for this."

He was silent for a minute thinking about the idea of taking on the creature inside of the trapped room. "You're right that I have overcome every obstacle that I've come across so far. I don't want to think that I can defeat everything. But I must try to follow this feeling that I have for the village's sake. We can't stay in hiding forever."

"You're right Strom, the village can't be in hiding forever," Azure said as she points to Strom. "And you will be the one to free the village of the burden. So go out there and don't forget the promises you made."

Yang was fiddling with Strom's hair and band when she felt him move. "Oh, welcome back to the land of not just a blank slate. How was your talk with Azure?"

"It was short but nice, and sorry for not warning you but I wanted to see if I can allow or disallow people to see when I meditate," He apologized and hugged Yang. "I didn't think that it would work."

"Well it did, but I forgive you," Yang said as she knew it was night. "How about we go back and get some sleep?"

"That sounds nice, but I want to fulfill a promise for a friend first," he said as he pulled the sword from the ground. "Azure wants me to take this piece of her and travel with us."

"Well, I don't see why not," she said as they took each other's hand as they walked back towards the dojo. When they returned Elder Trent greeted them with a smile and a look of concern when he saw the weapon.

"Strom, why do you have Azure's weapon?" The elder asked. "I hope that you are not stealing the weapon."

"Whenever I meditate, I see her asking me to take a part of her with me on my travels," Strom explained to everyone how he acquired the katana in his hand. "I want to fulfill her last requests."

"I understand that," Elder Trent said as he thought about the story. "I believe you Strom, but I would like to see this for myself at one point."

"Well, I think that it can be done," Strom said ready to meditate again. "Shall we begin?"

"Actually I think that it's late and that everyone could use the rest for tomorrow," the kind man said as he walked out of the dojo. "Good night to you all. I will be back when the sun has risen."

"Well, take care," Ruby said as she waved him goodbye. "Sooo, pillow fight anyone?"

"I am going to bed," Weiss said as she went to the bathroom to change.

"No thanks," Blake said as she walked to her bed with her books in hand.

"I will get some rest like the Elder suggested," Prof. Goodwitch said as her eyes started to drop from long needed R&R. "And I suggest you get some too."

"Sorry sis, but I need that beauty rest to keep looking this nice," Yang said and plopped herself in the bed and was soon sleeping.

"The Elder always has a plan for tomorrow," Strom said with something else in mind. "You should get some rest as well. I'm going to test out the blade and see if I still remember how to fight with one."

"Okay, goodnight then," Ruby said as she was oblivious to what her team member actually had planned.

Strom had quietly made his way over to the door that was blocked by a giant rock. "The door of one's true potential," he said as he moved the boulder, stepped inside and moved it back into place.

 _ **KrrrrrThmp!**_

Yang woke up to find that Strom was missing and his bed wasn't even used. She woke everyone up trying to figure out where he had gone. When they all heard a gigantic sound come from the town, they rushed to the source of the sound to find that everyone else was up and at the boulder that blocks off the creature in question. They all were trying to figure out who went in.

"Have you seen Strom?" Elder Trent said as he rushed over to the team.

"No we haven't," Yang said as she turned to the boulder. "Is he inside of there? We have to get him out!"

"We can't," the Elder said sadly as he turned to the group. "All we can do now is wait and hope that he is safe."

Strom walked into the center of the cave. There was no light, only a dark space. He could see the stains of those who weren't able to defeat the creature. Their blood was long since dried up, but the remains were gone. As he stood in the center he slammed Ocean's Curse into the ground. He continued going forward and saw the shadows form into a form that he recognized all too well. He knew this form because he was looking at himself.

 **(I think now is a good time to say what will be happening for the next few weeks. Since the fourth volume of RWBY will be coming quite shortly on the 22** **nd** **. I want to let you all know how I plan to handle the story once it gets to that point. We know that RT posts to their website first and a week later that episode gets posted onto YouTube. So with that being said I may have to put this story on hiatus for a week or two if I catch up too quickly. But it's just a warning not for certain. I haven't touched Volume three yet and probably won't for two or three more chapters. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will be here next chapter.)**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	14. Chapter 13

**(Today I will do something different. I will, from now on, post my responses to reviews before the story.**

 **Baconlord53- I can agree with you on how it would be an easy fight, but this chapter might be able to clear up on exactly what happens when one would meet this creature.**

 **Anyways onward to the chapter.)**

Chapter 13: Trial of Time

Strom and the creature circled each other, thinking about how to start the fight. Ocean's Curse was stuck in the ground between them. There were muffled voices trying to come in but were not able to reach to him.

' _So, it knows everything that I am going to do, but maybe it won't help since I know everything it will do,'_ Strom thought to himself before confronting the creature of shadows. _'Strange isn't it?'_

"Well, I think we should get started then," he said and received a nod from the creature. "So my biggest fear is myself, why is that?"

' _Not that I am going to be expecting a response,'_ he thought to himself before being surprised.

"May…..be you… should look into yourself…. And think," The creatures voice spoken very deeply and raspy. "Now die."

He was shocked that the creature could speak and think. No one had ever said anything of the sort, because that most of those who have survived the encounter were bedridden from permanent injuries or insanity. The creature was soon in his face with a punch to add. When it connected with his jaw, the force alone would have easily broken a normal man's neck. Strom was sent crashing into the walls of the cave, then hearing laughter as he fell back onto the floor.

"What makes you think a child could defeat their fears?" The creature said as Strom was getting up from his meeting with the ground. He stood strong, now trying to shake of the force of the blow.

"Wow, you hit hard, harder than me definitely," he said as he took his stance. "But how about we cut the chat and really go at it?"

"My pleasure," it said as they rushed towards another and threw their punches into the others fist, releasing a shockwave loud enough to be heard from the other side of the entrance.

"Wow, I don't think I have heard anything like that before," Elder Trent said as he remembered his past experiences with Strom. "I don't think that he has ever hit anything that hard before."

"I can name one time," Yang said sadly remembering how he reacted when they had fought Roman underneath the highway. "His kick nearly cut the Paladin in half."

"I remember when he punched a hole into an Alpha Ursa," Weiss said remembering the trip that Goodwitch took them on. "Jaune had decapitated an Ursa as well."

"What can we do?" Blake looked towards the elder hoping for a different answer of some kind. "We can't just sit here and let him throw away his life."

"And we can't allow the four of you to do the same," Prof. Goodwitch shouted at them. "I will not allow any of you to enter in there. I hope that he makes it out as well. Then I will make sure that he sees the repercussions of his actions."

"What we can do is wait and pray, that's it," the elder said as he looked down. "The rest of you should try and get some rest. I know that it will be hard to do so, but try at least. I will stay here and wait for a sign or anything."

"Then I'll stay too," Yang declared as she stood next to him. "I can't sleep knowing that he is in danger."

"That goes for me as well," Ruby said now standing with Yang. "We're a team so we should have discussed about this together."

"I won't be forgiving the dolt if he gets himself hurt," Weiss said now next to Yang. "This is a big matter and we can't just sit here and wait."

"So we'll all just sit here at the rock and wait," Blake said before their professor tried to calm them down.

"Children please, do not do anything rash," Prof. Goodwitch said before turning to go get her scroll. "I will let Ozpin know and try and see what to do."

She left in a hurry as everyone else headed back to their home except for team RWBY and Elder Trent. They all stared at the rock with an intensity that would shatter it if looks could kill.

"Are you sure that we can't enter and help?" Yang said getting angry. "I know you said that numbers would increase its power but maybe we can hold it down and finish it."

"I'm sorry, but I won't let anyone else in," he declared as he stood between them and the rock. "I won't let any more lives be lost."

"Strom is in there! He could die if we don't do anything," Yang argued back at the elder as her eyes turned into a shade of red. "I'm going in there whether you like it or not."

"No, you won't be going inside," he said sternly as he faced the entrance. "I will. So please just stay patient and we will be out just fine. Strom is like a son to me, one that I gave up the chance to have, and I refuse to lose him."

He moved the boulder and let it fall into place as he entered. The team just waited for Goodwitch to return with any information and to inform her what had happened.

As the elder entered the cave he could hear the sounds of punches and kick being connected with one another. The heat was sweltering, but he had to make it to his student. As he got closer he could feel the impacts that they were making against his skin, causing Goosebumps to rise on his arms. The caves were dark so he had to rely on the method that he taught Strom for sight.

Strom was fighting on even grounds with the shadow. With every strike someone had a counter to it. Shins clashed, and elbows bashed into one another, and limits of speed and strength were tested.

"Congratulations, you successfully made it five minutes without crawling back for help," the shadow spat out as it received a punch to the face, and then returned the favor.

"Well, how long do I have to make it before becoming the longest survivor?" He asked after the punch was delivered.

"Don't get your hopes up," it said getting ready to fight for a long time. "You won't even make it another nine minutes."

"Let's see about that," he challenged with a smile. As they continued their fight Strom noticed someone coming inside the cave as well. _'Why is Elder Trent coming in?'_

"Strom we need to get you out of here right now," the Elder shouted making sure that he would stay out of sight of the creature before feeling heat burst up from behind him. Feeling the flames that were right behind him he rushed forward and was ready to attack. "Looks like I have no choice, Strom leave now."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Strom said now fighting a creature that looks like the Elder. "This was supposed to be a surprise, but well, the world is unpredictable. I guess we will have to bring it down together now and forever."

"You always took on every challenge," the Elder laughed as he took off his sash and struck the creature in the chest with a kick. "Looks like I still got it after all."

"Yeah, but it looks like that it did nothing but tickle it," Strom said as he saw the shadow get up and charged towards them. "I think we're going to have to step up our game if we want to defeat it."

"You won't even get the chance," the shadow shouted as it slammed an open palm into the elder.

The elder was pushed back close to the wall. After a quick recovery he and Strom rushed in towards the shadow with a flurry of punches and kicks. The shadow kept up with every strike made against it as it shifted shapes from Strom to Elder Trent quite often. Luckily they don't need their eyes to see as they both know what to look for. They continued fighting for who knows how long. The shockwaves from the fight were vibrating the entire cave.

"Well looks like that Strom isn't coming out with the elder," Yang said after checking her scroll for the time. "They have been in there for over thirty minutes now. I can't stand waiting around not knowing if they're safe."

"We're worried too, but hopefully Ozpin should be here, or has sent someone to come within a few hours," their professor said knowing what would happen when how long of a wait they had.

"A few hours?!" Yang shouted waking up some of the locals. "They might not even have five minutes let alone a few hours!"

"Yang, please try to calm down," Ruby said as the rest of the team tried to console Yang. "The vibrations are getting louder so they must be injuring it."

"His fights had never taken this long," Yang said in fear that she would lose someone else close to her. "We have to go in there."

"We can't Yang," Prof. Goodwitch said in a sad voice. "I understand your concern, but do you think he would want you to try and help when you don't know what you're getting into and then get severely injured?"

"No, he doesn't want me to be hurt," Yang said sitting with her back to the rock with her head resting on her knees. "I just want him to come back safe."

"We all do Yang," Weiss said sitting next to her. "He's the strongest out of all of us Yang. He's not going down without putting up a fight."

"She's right," Blake said placing a hand on her partner's shoulder as she sat down. "And if I remember he's capable of speeds close to Ruby's. He's also capable of taking some very damaging blows like when you used your semblance to slam into him during his initiation."

"Of course I remember, but it still doesn't make me any less concerned," Yang said with her head still resting on her knees.

"Yang, sometimes you just have to have faith," Ruby said kneeling in front of her sister. "I just know that he will come out of this stronger than before."

"Do you have any ideas on how to beat this thing?" Strom shouted after being thrown into the wall. "There's a limit to how many times I can be thrown before I lose my cool."

"I don't know, maybe it's starting to grow tired," Elder Trent said before blocking a kick from the shadow. "It's not invincible. Keep chipping at it and everything can break."

Strom gritted his teeth because he knew that they weren't getting anywhere. He activated his semblance and his body spontaneously burst into blue flames. He charged into the shadow and punched the jaw of the creature.

"Thanks for the light," the shadow said aggravated about the sudden light in its face.

"Weren't your flames red before?" the Elder asked as he grabbed his sash from the ground that was heating up.

"Yes, they were, but I have managed to grow stronger alongside my semblance and flames," Strom replied as he sent a stream of flames into the shadow. "Hah, does it hurt yet?"

"Not really, kind of weak if you ask me," it scoffed at the flames and proceeded to send a stream of jet black flames at both of its opponents. "Now go away like the others. Die."

The flames connected with both the student and master. Strom took it easily because of his semblance. Elder Trent took the blast of heat on his leg after trying to dodge the attack, but the flames became wider as they left from the source. He was out of aura after that blast due to its ferocity. The shadow rushed to the injured man whose leg was burned.

"Night night old man," the shadow exclaimed as it planted a kick into the side of the Elder sending him into the wall. As it walked towards the downed man, Strom rushed to try and protect the Elder, but he was hit with the force of a train and sent back, and got his head smacked on the wall. The shadow changed plans as it walked to the center of the room and grabbed the katana. It unsheathed the weapon as the space between it and Strom grew smaller and smaller. Strom's vision started to grow dark as the shadow grew closer, he raised his hand to send flames out, but soon quickly put his arm down as unconsciousness started to take over. He saw the blade rise and fall to hear a sound all too familiar.

 _ **SHRRK!**_

Blood ran onto Strom's stomach, but the blade didn't run through him. His vision sharpened to see that the weapon had been ran through Elder Trent's chest. Adrenalin rushed into Strom and he got up quickly and used everything he had into a punch that connected and sent the shadow into the wall. He then turned to Elder Trent and pulled the katana out and tried to cover the wounds with the clothes he had to work with.

"Elder Trent, I'm sorry this happened, I should have never come in here," Strom tried to apologize with tears in his eyes then ran into the band. "I should have never thought about coming in here."

"Strom, listen to me, you can defeat this and free the village of this burden," Trent said as blood trickled up from his mouth. He places his hands onto Strom's tenderly. "I knew this day would come. I have been having dreams about this for a long time."

"Please, save your energy," Strom pleaded as he applied more pressure to the wounds. "We can still get you out of here alive."

"Strom, it's too late for me," the elder coughed up some more blood. "But it's not too late for you. I will entrust you with my power as my master had done for me before he passed."

"No, no, no, no, we can still make it. All I have to do is keep you alive," Strom cried out with his hands still placing pressure onto the wounds as he felt the heartbeat grow fainter and less frequent.

"Strom please, I do not blame you, but-" The elder started before coughing up more blood. "But, you must learn and get past this, as I have done before you. So I, so I must have your consent to do this."

"I don't want you to go," Strom pleaded with the dying Elder. "Please just let me try to pick you up and get you out of here."

"I don't have much time left," Trent said as he pulled the hands that tried to cover the wounds. "Please, this is my last request, and I need your answer now."

"I… I… I understand," Strom stammered quietly as he came to terms on what would happen. "I won't let your last request go in vain. I will accept responsibility and the consequences. I won't let you down."

"I knew from the day I met you that you were special," Trent said as he started to glow. "When a life comes to fade, there will be another to shine brighter. Strom, with this passing of life, take my energy and shine brighter than ever before, now awakened!"

The room was being illuminated by a white glow emanating from the elderly man. The light soon moved over to Strom and he was feeling energized and his power grew, but he also felt the passing of his master but the masters before him. A tear fell from Elder Trent's eye as he closed them for the last time. The cave soon was back to darkness and the shadow watched the entirety of the passing. The body soon disappeared from the feet up. The only item that could recognize the elder's existence was a bloodied, green sash.

"Look at you, all powered up now," the shadow said as it clapped its hands together, now back in the shape of Strom. "I wish that I could have gotten that power up, but I think that those in the past have more than sufficed."

"What do you mean?" Strom asked as he stood up slowly as blood dripped from his hands from his late master. "What do you mean by 'those in the past'?"

"Oh come now," the raspy voice of the shadow said. "If I were of equal skill of those I fought, they would still have the upper advantage. The best chance I had to lose was the first time. Ever since then, I grew with every death of those who came in. That old timer actually had a punch to him though."

"So that's why I felt that something was off," Strom said as he tightened his band on his head. "That's why I felt like I was punching a mountain."

"So, I guess we are ready to start round two?" The shadow asked as it mimicked a fighting stance that Strom used earlier.

"No, I'm making this the final round," he replied as he took the same stance as he usually does.

Heat blasted off of Strom as he fought the shadow. It became hot enough to start melting the rocks around them as they fought. The boulder that blocked off the entrance was starting to grow hotter and hotter.

"This rock is warm like him," Yang said as the boulder became hotter and unbearable. She quickly removed herself from the boulder. "Ow, ow, OW, okay, now it's really hot!"

"Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked as she felt her sister's back and the rock, quickly reeling back from the rock as it was now like touching a stovetop. "Yikes, that's hot enough to cook on."

"I wonder what will be for breakfast," Weiss said as she was trying to stay awake with everyone, but it was hard when no one was doing much. "Hey Blake, what do you think we might have?"

"No, I'm told you that it's not smut," Blake said in her sleep. She had been asleep for a while since there was some drool pooling next to her. "Mmm, tuna."

"Girls, I understand your concern but how about you go back to the dojo and I'll come wake you all up when anything happens," Goodwitch offered as experience on staying up late was working.

"You can take everyone else, but I'm staying," Yang said as she sat down next to her sleeping partner. "Ruby, go get some sleep."

"Yang, I don't want you to be alone," her sister said trying her hardest to resist yawning, but was unsuccessful.

"Ruby, I won't be alone. Professor Goodwitch just said that she would stay and wait and let us know if something happened," Yang said as she ran her hand through Ruby's hair slowly and gently. "So please get some rest."

"Okay, but try to get some rest as well, okay?" Ruby wanted to know that her sister wouldn't push her limits.

"I will if I can Ruby," her older responded as she turned to hear the muffled shockwaves from behind the boulder. "That's a sign of life."

"Yes it is, Yang," Goodwitch said as she used her semblance to pick up and move Blake and Weiss, who just fell asleep. "Come on Ruby."

"I thought you needed your crop to move things," Ruby said as she saw the spectacle.

"Not really," the professor said as their voices started to fade out of Yang's hearing. "I just use the crop when something like Grimm gets too close to me."

"Why do I feel that she is hiding more than what she revealed," Yang said to herself after seeing the group turn a corner. "Please be safe, Strom."

The shadow had picked up the weapon once again after being punched with full force from Strom. The fighting was long and strenuous, yet neither of the fighters seemed to be tired. The shadow raised the weapon above its head.

"It's time to end this," it cried out getting angry of how long Strom was able to keep up with it. "Die, die, DIE! JUST DIE NOW!"

"I agree that it's time to end this," Strom said as the blade swung down, smiling. "But it will be you who ends up dead!"

As he shouted, Strom jump-kicked Ocean's Curse into the air like he had done with Cardin at initiation. The shadow then saw a fist aimed towards the face. After being sent back a few feet the shadow charged at Strom and knocked him down. Strom was pinned to the ground and tried to struggle to get free, but failed to budge the shadow off of him.

"Don't worry there Strom," the voice cackled loudly. "I'll make sure you get to see Elder Trent again. Now for the last time DIE!" It raised its arms up and about to slam into the pinned brawler when his plan finally met its mark.

 _ **Shrrk!**_

The katana had pierced through the back of its neck and nearly met Strom's nose. The shadow was shocked about what happened and began to dissipate starting from the feet going up.

"Well, I guess that this is it," it spoke calmly as it pulled the weapon out. "I have to say, congratulations Strom, you have killed me, but I didn't plan to leave without a backup plan."

"What are you talking about a backup plan?" A tired Strom had asked getting up ready to continue to fight if he must. "You're already fading away, what do you have planned?"

"My plan is for survival," it said as the knees have disappeared from the view. "So for survival I can posses a host of my choosing. Since you're the only one here I am forced to choose you."

"I refuse to let you live on," He declared and got tensed up to prepare to run.

"Who said that you had a choice," the shadow said as Strom noticed himself and the shadow gravitated towards each other. "I will survive, and you will get stronger and keep control. It's a win-win situation."

"No, this won't happen I won't let it," he shouted as he tried to pull away but continued to move closer towards the shadow. "No, no!"

"You can't stop it, I can't stop it as well," it said as a black gem started to show from its chest. "Nothing can stop this. I am the darkness to balance the light."

Just as it said that line, the gem fused into Strom and immediately gave him another power boost. This power didn't seem evil or manipulative but rather, sad and unknowing of what to do, as if it was in discord. He grabbed the sash that was left behind from the late Trent and headed towards the boulder.

Yang was about to fall asleep against the side of the wall despite the small talk that she was making with her professor. She would have passed out if it weren't the boulder moving and making a loud sound, she panicked and the professor became alert as they saw Strom exit the cavern and didn't place the boulder back. On his arm he had a green cloth covered in blood. She noticed that he had a fair share of scrapes and bruises all over his body.

"Strom, oh my Oum, are you hurt?" Yang said as she rushed to hug him. "Please don't worry us like that again. Promise me that please."

"I'm sorry Yang, I am so sorry for making everyone worried," Strom said as his knees fell to the ground and started to grieve his loss. "I'm so sorry Elder!"

"Strom what happened in there?" Yang questioned as Prof. Goodwitch took control of the situation.

"Yang, Strom, how about we get some rest and talk about it later?" She suggested as she used her semblance to lift the two up into the air and walked back to the dojo. "I'm so glad that you agree with me. Strom you can tell us what happened on the way back."

He started to cry as he told the story of everything that had happened in the cavern. His tears and grief were quieted when Yang held onto him and fell asleep while still in midair. Seeing that she was at peace knowing that he was back and safe put some ease unto him as his eyes shut from fatigue and need of sleep.

After he woke up in the morning he was met with everyone looking at him, and a bottle of water, expecting an explanation for what happened in the cavern and why it was not blocked off. As the story went on the village and Ruby began to tear up when they learned about Elder Trent's sacrifice. They continued to cry throughout the rest of the story. They gotten a little bit happier when they learned that the shadow that haunted the village was gone for good, but it still took one more life before its defeat. It took a while for everyone to accept the loss and remember about how their feelings affect the village. It took Strom some time to notice the new person there. A man who wore a cloak and had a light gray colored Aura.

"Might I ask who you are?" Strom said as he faced towards the new face and Aura he did not know. "And how did you find this place?"

"Well Mr. Teitsia, while you were in the cavern fighting something that no one should have been fighting," Prof. Goodwitch started. "I had to contact Ozpin about the situation and he thought it would be a good idea to send-"

"UNLCE QROW!" Both Ruby and Yang shouted in excitement and rushed to their uncle.

"Oh boy," he said as Ruby was the first to give her uncle a hug while the spun around him as she does for her family. Yang shortly reached her goal with the force of a train going at full speed. "OOF. Yuup, going to feel that in the morning."

"Did you miss us?" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes. "Did you? Did you?!"

"Yeah what she said," Yang added before mimicking her sister. "Did you?"

Qrow had just chuckled a little bit. "Nope."

"Well I guess that answers my two questions," Strom said as he got up. "I'll clean up and get breakfast ready. My suggestion to everyone is that we celebrate the life of Elder Trent, we can be sad about the loss, but he wouldn't want us to be sad for too long. So with that said please have a good day."

As all the villagers started to leave trying to get through the day, Strom went to the kitchen to make breakfast for his guests. As he cooked for everyone, the rest of the team and the two adults talked amongst each other.

"Well looks like I'm not needed here since that kid took care of it," Qrow said after the dojo cleared out. "I don't even think that these people have the good stuff. How do they even live without the good stuff?"

"Not everyone needs to drink themselves into a coma everyday Qrow," Goodwitch said as she rubbed her temples to try and stay awake. "I really hope that there is some form of coffee here. Probably not, so how do they do it? It's like they have a form of super water or something."

"I was wondering what that alcoholic smell was coming from," Blake said as she was reading her book. "But I think we all can agree that we will need to support Strom through this."

"Agreed," Weiss said happily. "So what should we do t try and cheer him up?"

"Maybe a batch of cookies would help?" Ruby suggested. "Maybe some team exercises?"

"I think that we need to leave here and to get him away from the memory until he's more prepared," Yang said thinking how this place might bring his mood down. "Maybe we should head over to patch and visit dad?"

"*GASP* Ohh, we should do that and do some team exercises," Ruby said getting happy about the idea. "How should we tell him about our ideas about cheering him up."

"Well the obvious way is to just confront him about it," Weiss said with confidence. "Not that we would need to be mean about it, but just we can't tip-toe around the subject. It's clearly bothering him."

"I'm certain any of us would feel guilty if someone we knew for a long time sacrificed themselves for us," Blake said remembering her time with the White Fang. "We can talk about it after breakfast."

"Talk about what after breakfast?" Strom asked with bowls and small cups in his hands. "Breakfast is ready, fried fish and scrambled eggs with bowls of fruits and vegetables."

"And what do you have for drinks?" Qrow asked hoping that the boy knows where the alcohol is. "Anything strong?"

"Well, there's juice, water, tea, coffee, and ale," as Strom said two keywords, both Goodwitch and Qrow rushed to the kitchen for their respective drinks.

"I am so happy that there is coffee here," the tired professor said as she got a cup ready. "I didn't think that you would have coffee beans here."

"I'm surprised that he has ale," Qrow said looking for it. "Do you know where it is and 'don't give any to my nieces.' They don't need to taste it yet."

"Are you sure?" Strom asked pouring himself two small glasses of ale. "I'm sure that the benefits are-"

Qrow didn't hear the rest of his sentence because he was upset that some punk would suggest that to him. He brought the drink to his lips and as soon as the liquid flowed down into his mouth, he knew that this wasn't ale.

"Kid this is good, but it's not ale," the man said remembering the taste of the drink.

"That is ale, I call it ale because I couldn't say ailment when I was younger," Strom said after he drank a glass. "I really enjoy a glass after a long fight or workout. It's full of healthy fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs and tea."

"Wow, can it be any healthier?" Qrow spoke quietly, in a defeated tone and yet poured himself another glass.

"Where is the coffee?" Goodwitch asked hurriedly needing the boost. "And don't lead me on like you did for Qrow."

"Well we do have coffee beans that I can ground up," Strom said as everyone else has already filled a bowl with food. "I'll get a cup started."

Within minutes Goodwitch was content with the hot cup of coffee she had along with breakfast. After clean up was done team RWBY had a meeting.

"Strom, as the leader of team RWBY, I cannot help but notice that you seem… down," Ruby said as she walked back and forth in front of Strom. "And to help bring your spirits up we've decided that we would offer some ideas that might seem to cheer you up."

"Like a full day of reading books in a quiet place where no one will bother you, for instance," Blake said trying to not look guilty as everyone looked at her with faces of disappointment.

"Or a day filled with studying, long schedules, organizing parties, training, and-" Weiss said before being cut off by Ruby.

"Or we can bake cookies, and bake cookies, and eat strawberries, and ignore Weiss's boring ideas," Ruby said trying to make up for Weiss's lack of fun and relaxing ideas. "Did I mention baking cookies?"

"Three times Ruby," Yang sighed at the ideas that were offered. "I can say head back to beacon early."

"Let's not do that right now," their professor pleaded after a sip of her third cup.

"Or we can head over to Patch and maybe visit our dad, Taiyang," Yang quickly said, trying to have options for Strom and not upset Goodwitch.

"Maybe I can join with you all," Qrow said as his scroll got a ring. "Or not, curses."

"Patch? Did you just say Patch?" Strom asked in surprise. "As in, small island off from Vale, Patch?"

"Yes, why?" Yang asked fear that he may not like patch. "Why do you have another idea or don't like the place?"

"Well I guess that I can stop by my house and visit my parents as well," Strom said with a smile. "It's been a while since I been home."

"Well then that settles it," Ruby said getting excited. "Team RWBY, to Patch!"

 **(A/N: Well I wonder what will happen when Strom meets the father of Yang and Ruby. Tune in next week to find out.**

 **I have good news and bad news. Good news is that RWBY volume 4 is out. Hooray! The bad news is that I have to wait until they post it onto YouTube due to circumstances.**

… **Do not give me Spoilers… Please and Thank You.**

 **The knight with the pencil**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	15. Chapter 14

**(A/N: Wow I should have done this sooner. More replies from me this time.**

 **Zachary Wisky: I'm glad that you enjoy the story and there will be more updates to the story on a weekly basis.**

 **Jack Redhawke: I can understand your reasoning behind the idea that Strom should see living things only, but I hope that chapter 9 will have cleared up how exactly he sees. And if not, don't lose too much sleep on the idea. Some things are just better off unexplained. But I do hope that you are enjoying what you read.**

 **Baconlord53: I'm glad to know that you think it's awesome.**

 **Akshka: I do plan to make more chapters.**

 **Tyson113: I do plan on keeping up the pace and to better myself at writing. Truth be told, I was not planning on that coincidence to happen, but I do give a round of applause to you for that memory in Spiderman 3.**

 **I just want to say Thank You to these people. The time you take out of your precious day to send feedback to me, it really makes my week and gives me an extra drive and push to continue to write for everyone. Anyways, to the next chapter.**

Chapter 14: Family Meetings

"Alright team RWBY, when should we plan to leave?" Ruby asked as she made sure that Crescent Rose was taken care of. "Should we leave as soon as possible or later?"

"I would like to leave after ten," Strom said looking at the sash of Elder Trent. "I think that I will set this across his grave. I'll be back soon."

"Should we follow him?" Weiss asked as soon that Strom was out of sight.

"No, we should leave him be," Blake said as she grabbed her bag and set it with the others. "He should have some time to himself. He won't do something stupid, we know him well enough."

"Well, I actually think I know what he is going to do," Yang said noticing that the sash was now gone. "I think we all should go after him and show our support and appreciation for his makeshift funeral."

"Well, I can get behind that idea, firecracker," Qrow said then taking a sip of his flask. "I won't drink too much during that time."

He was met with a raised eyebrow from Yang and Glynda. The professor slapped the crop on her hand to let her point be known to Qrow what she will do.

"Like I said, I'll leave the drink here," he said nervous about how much pain the headmaster's assistant could afflict. "Shall we get going?"

To Yang's tuition, she was right. Strom made a gravestone for Elder Trent and placed the sash across the stone. Everyone was silent and stood respecting the man that Strom knew. Some tears were shed by Ruby and Strom. Everyone else in the village would have their time later to hold a funeral. As everyone left the graveyard, Strom took one more glance back at the tombstone before catching up to the others and returned to the dojo.

"Thank you everyone, I appreciate you all being there for me," Strom said as he looked at everyone. His bag now with the others as he looked at the time to see how much time left until they left for Patch.

"Well thank Firecracker here," Qrow said as he points to Yang and takes a sip from his flask. "It was her idea that we should have joined you there."

"Well thank you very much Yang," Strom said and gave her a hug around her waist and she placed her arms around his neck. The sight alone made Ruby squeak for joy. Qrow, on the other hand, may have had a question or two.

"Okay Yang and, Storm was it, how about you introduce me to whoever he is?" Qrow said gesturing towards Strom. His voice had a tone of anger hidden within.

"Uncle Qrow, this is Strom Teitsia, he is our team member and my boyfriend," Yang said with pride as she rubbed her cheek against Strom's in front of her uncle. "He is quite the 'catch' if you ask me."

Groans were heard from everyone who heard that, but not Strom, he smirked and laughed at the terrible pun. Qrow noticed that it wasn't a forced laugh, but a sincere laughter of joy. His anger quelled at the male teen that was dating his niece and formed a smile on his face.

"Well, I don't know how Tai will feel about this, but I guess he has my blessings for dating you Yang," Qrow said putting his flask away. "Take good care of her Strom, and the same goes to you Yang. I can count all the people I know who can tolerate your puns on one finger."

"Awe that was so sweet and… Hey!" Yang said flailing her fists at her uncle as Ruby would do when Yang picked on her.

"Well it's ten now so we are going to be late if we don't leave now," Prof. Goodwitch said collecting her bags as she left the dojo.

"Well looks like it's time to head home," Ruby said with a smile. "Weiss and Blake, I know that you'll both enjoy your time there. There's peace, quiet, and no discrimination towards the faunus there."

"Well come on then," Weiss said impatiently while smiling about the idea of quiet. "Let's get over there already and stop wasting time."

"Well, I can't wait to meet the people then," Blake said picking up bags and heading out. "Well let's get going now."

During their flight heading towards Patch, Strom and Yang rested with their heads leaning against each other while he held his hand over hers. Ruby was playing cards with her uncle, and everyone else was reading Blake's collection of books ranging from romance to mystery. When they were approximately thirty minutes away, a few stomachs growled.

"We did bring some food with us, correct?" Weiss asked looking around. "Strom, did you bring something?"

"Nope, because I want to go over to a certain diner that I know someone will appreciate our visit," Strom said as he looked out the window, eager to see his mom again. "How long until we arrive at Patch?"

"About thirty minutes, kid," Qrow said laid back in a chair. "What is the diner called?"

"A Taste of Home," Strom answered as he looked at Yang, who was now sleeping on his lap. He delicately ran his hand through her golden locks of blonde hair. He tensed up knowing how much she cares for her hair, but then relaxed when he saw that she smiled and didn't stir from her slumber.

"Wow, that is a first for me," Qrow said and Ruby nodded with a smile. "She must care for you a lot to not get angry when someone touches her hair. Last time I remember someone touched her hair, she dislocated the shoulder of an ex of hers when he tried to be forceful with her. I don't think you'll have that problem though."

"Oh yeah I remember that guy," Ruby said trying to remember the person. "I didn't like him that much since he was being mean to me. When Yang heard about that it was all downhill for him at the time."

"Well, I hope that I haven't been to mean to you Ruby," Strom said remembering the times that he wrapped her in her own cape.

"Are you kidding me?" Ruby said looking in shock. "You haven't done anything that bad. The worst thing you have done to me is trap me within my own cape, and even then you were careful enough not to stretch it."

"Why were you trapped in your own cape?" Qrow asked with a smirk on his face. "This is a story that I have to hear."

"Well it happened on three separate occasions really," Strom said as Qrow leaned in slightly. "The first was during my initiation at Beacon, the second time was when she messed up my cooking in the kitchen, and the last time I did that is when she and the others got my sarong filthy."

"Okay, let's just set it to the side," Ruby said as Patch came into view. "Oh we're going to be here soon."

"That's odd I see the island, but we're still so far away," Strom said as he noticed the island. "Normally I can only see up to a couple hundred meters radius from me but this is a lot more than a couple hundred."

"Well how far can you see now?" Weiss asked trying to learn how far he can see now for tactical advantages. "Finding grimm will be easier to track and deal with a wider range of sight."

"Well I think that we'll need time to figure it out when we get back to Beacon," Strom said as the airship came to land. "Hey Yang, we here now, time to wake up."

"Mmmm, five more minutes," Yang grumbled not wanting to leave the comfortable pillow she had.

"Yang, we won't be able to get lunch if we can't get off the airship," Strom replied with a soft, sweet voice. "Besides we can get to go to A Taste of Home."

"Why didn't you say that before," Yang said rushing to exit the airship. "Let's go, I'm hungry."

Everyone got off with their bags and went to the restaurant. Qrow took the bags over to Yang and Ruby's home and met up with everyone back at the restaurant.

"Well that took a while, so are we ready to go in?" Qrow said as they all entered the diner. When the bell above the door rang out for waiters to take notice of the group, one waitress rushed to the door. She was wearing blue jeans and a red long sleeved shirt. She had blonde hair and red eyes. She was fit for her age and most notably had two cat ears on top of her head. She rushed to Strom and tackled him with a big hug.

"Oh Strom, it's so good to see you back again," the lady said as she started to cry tears of joy. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"Mona, you know Strom?" Yang said knowing the lady since she and Ruby came to the diner enough times to remember names and faces.

"Well, of course I do Yang," Mona said with a huge smile. "After all, I didn't carry him for nine months for nothing."

"That's your mom?!" Weiss asked astonished at the fact that Strom was a fish Faunus when his mother was a cat Faunus like Blake. "Strom what kind of Faunus is your dad?"

"Oh, Darrel? He's a rabbit Faunus," Mona said giving everyone the image of a burly man in a wheel chair with fuzzy rabbit ears on the top of his head. "Lily is a sheep, and Boran is a cat as well."

"I can't wait to meet your family Strom," Ruby said excited but then remembering why they were here. "Oh, I almost forgot why we're here. We need to fill up on good food, and enjoy our week off."

"Well we can't have people going on empty stomachs now, can we?" Mona said leading them all to a table. "I'll give you all a minute for drinks and your orders."

"Okay take your time mom," Strom said as she left the group to discuss and think about the meals.

Everyone had fun at the diner when Ruby started to make impressions of the professors at Beacon. They were worried when they met Goodwitch's eyes only to find her smile and relax. Qrow had to leave to return to his mission causing a sad goodbye from Ruby and Yang, but they knew that he would be safe. Strom told his mother what happened since he last left home off to the side, out of everyone but Blake's hearing. How he met team RWBY and applied for Beacon, and how he has a scar from the fight at the docks. She got upset knowing that he gotten injured again, but didn't want to cause too much of a scene.

"Oh, what would your father say in this situation?" Mona said as she rubbed her temples. "Probably along the lines of "did you at least give them something worse" or something like that."

"Well we did manage to take him into custody last Monday," Ruby said feeling proud of herself and the team. "We also stopped a breach that happened that day."

"I think that it was actually Tuesday when that happened," Strom said remembering how a calendar works. "But in the end we're all safe."

"And we are dating," Yang said as she stood next to Strom and held each other's hands. "I thought that you should know that and wanted to know if you would approve us."

Mona was silent looking back and forth between the two teens in front of her. She had plenty of experience with how to tell fake feelings from true. "Yang, how do you feel about Strom?"

"I am so happy that I met Strom," Yang said looking at Strom's mom in the eyes. "I thank you for bringing him to this world."

"Ok I don't need anything else," Mona said with a smile as she came and hugged Yang. "Please be kind and caring towards him."

"I never planned to be anything else than that," Yang said smiling now as well. "Well that's one parent down, two to go."

"Dad won't have an issue with it," Strom said as he squeezed Yang's hand gently. "He'll probably congratulate me for finally getting out there."

"And I agree with that statement," Mona said as everyone finished up and paid for the meal. "So who is the other parent you have to worry about?"

Ruby and Yang looked at each other with a slight worry as they both said the name of the parent who might cause some problems. "Taiyang."

"Ah, I can understand that," Mona said remembering nights when the man would come to rant about boys flirting with his daughters. "Well if you two need help I'm sure that Darrel and I can help."

"Well, should we say hi to my dad and family?" Strom asked everyone since the time had passed. "And then head over to say hi to your dad and family?"

"Well actually you-" Ruby started to say before Yang rushed to cover her mouth with a hand.

"You will just be meeting our dad," Yang interjected as she covered Ruby's mouth. "Since you have already met our uncle Qrow and Zwei, we're the only other people in the house."

"Oh, I see," Strom said now knowing that family was a sensitive topic for them. "Well, we should go say hi to dad before heading over to your house for the night."

"Strom Teitsia," Mona started with an eyebrow twitching. "You take off for a few months, attend school and go protect the world, then you come back home to your mother and your first night being here is a sleepover?"

"I can come visit them tomorrow if you want," Strom said in fear as sweat went down his head.

"Just make sure to say hello to us every day when you are here and have dinner with us on Saturday," his mother said with a sigh. "Otherwise, have fun Strom. At least you're not training this time like you were the last time you stopped by."

"Thank you mom," Strom said as he hugged his mother for a while. "I'll make sure that I help out with the cooking. I love you."

"I love you too my little guppy," she said with a smile. "Take care, and let me know if anything interesting happens."

"We will, goodbye," Strom said as they all left to head over to meet Taiyang.

When they arrived at the house and knocked on the door they were met with a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. On his right arm he had a tattoo and looked at the group with a big smile when he came to find his daughters.

"Yang, Ruby, you're here and safe," He said as he rushed to hug both of them. "I'm so glad that you got a chance to be here. Luckily my mission was quick but offered enough to support for a while. Now who are all of these people? Besides Glynda, I already know her."

"Yes Taiyang, but please refer to me as Ms. Goodwitch," the professor said in business mode, not showing much emotion.

"Oh you can relax Glynda," Taiyang said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "There's plenty on fun to be had while you're here."

"Moving on, I would like to introduce you to team RWBY," Ruby said as she displayed her hands to show the other teammates to her father. "My partner, Weiss Schnee."

"It's nice to meet you sir," Weiss said with a small curtsy.

"And our friend, Blake Belledonna," Ruby continued to introduce her father to the rest of the team.

"Hi, this is a lovely home you have," Blake said with a small smile.

"Thank you, it wasn't easy to find, but it was worth it," Taiyang said with a smile as his attention turned towards the boy who was wearing a red band over his head. "And he is?"

"This is Strom Teitsia," Ruby said with a huge grin. "He joined us a week after our initiation and-"

"Is my boyfriend," Yang finished the statement with her hugging Strom at his side. Taiyang tensed up when he heard boyfriend. His eyes started to twitch and a vein started to pop from his head.

"Your… boyfriend you say," Yang's father said through his teeth. "Strom, is it? Countless times I saw Yang's heart broken by guys who don't know how to take relationships seriously. What can you prove to me that you won't do the same?"

"Well I-" Strom started to say before Taiyang quickly interrupted with his own idea.

"An all out fight with her father?" He said liking the idea. "Good idea Strom."

"Dad no," Yang and Ruby said hoping that they could talk some sense into their dad. "Strom's a great guy, we're sure that you would like him. However we didn't want to hide anything from you."

"I appreciate the gesture and you wanting to let me know, but this will not deter me from protecting me girls," Taiyang said looking Strom right in the eyes, furiously. "We will take this out in the front yard."

"I am fine with that," Strom said looking at all the plant life in the area. "This is not going to be easy."

"What's wrong, scared?" Taiyang taunted at Strom who was more concerned about the beauty of the area.

"Do you have an area with less vegetation that we can fight in?" Strom asked not wanting to cause damage to the property.

"Nope, I'm standing my ground here," Taiyang said now in the yard ready to defend everyone.

"Mr. Xiao Long, surely this is not needed," Prof. Goodwitch tried to be level and calm with the man who was clearly being outrageous.

"Its fine professor," Strom said calmly entering the yard to face his opponent. "How will we determine the winner?"

"When the loser concedes to the battle," Taiyang said giving Strom ideas of possibilities to win or make Taiyang concede.

"Shall we begin then?" Strom asked signaling the start of the fight.

"Be careful," Ruby said to both of them.

"This is ridiculous," Yang sighed trying to hide herself in shame from everyone else.

Taiyang pressed an onslaught of kicks and punches, forcing Strom to redirect the attack, block, or parry with one of his own. He tried to look for an opening but Taiyang kept up his barrage. The fight continued and Strom was struggling to keep up with the experienced huntsman. He had yet to land a blow on the protective father. He was getting upset but had to keep his semblance unactivated for everyone's safety.

"Hmm, you have power, but you seem to be struggling with something," Taiyang said noticing how Strom hasn't yet made a strike towards him. "Why aren't you using your full capabilities? Do you not care for Yang enough to fight your hardest for her?"

"No, I care enough to continue on until I draw my last breath," the sound of commitment was enough to shake Yang and her father in the middle of battle. "But I do not want to harm anyone here."

"Strom," Yang said gently, moved that someone would fight until the bitter end for her, but didn't want him getting hurt. "Strom, you don't have to fight, we can talk this out."

Strom lost focus of the fight when he heard the plea in Yang's voice and hesitated to continue with fighting that Taiyang punched Strom in the face hard enough to send him right onto his back, knocking all the air out from his lungs. When Yang saw him land on the ground she rushed to help him out with tears in her eyes. As Taiyang saw those tears fell he knew that he messed up, and called the match to an end as he helped Strom recover.

"Strom I am so sorry," Taiyang said with his head hung in shame. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"You had your daughter's safety in mind," Strom said as his breathing became even. "I don't blame you for anything that happened."

"Well I do," Yang said as she glared at her dad. "Strom couldn't even use his semblance in this match, dad. He wanted to move locations because of it."

"What is his semblance?" Taiyang asked worried about what Strom's semblance is.

"I have full control and immunity to heat and fire," Strom said as he slowly got up. "Unfortunately I do leave quite the mark when I use it and I didn't want to burn down Patch at all."

"I see," Taiyang said as he stood up ready to help out if needed. "Well, Yang how do you feel about Strom."

"Well, I feel more about him then I did with all the others combined," she answered as she gave Strom a gentle hug, then turning to her father again. "How do you feel about him."

"Well I have to give him credit for lasting as long as he did," Taiyang said heading towards the front door. "As long as you are happy Yang, that's all I can ever ask for. Please come in and make yourselves at home."

"Do you have anything else to say dad?" Ruby asked upset that he hurt Strom since she looked at him with puffy cheeks and a glare that can cut through Grimm.

"I also concede to you Strom," the man said as he turned towards the group. "Do you have anything to add Yang?"

"Strom get's to choose where he sleeps," Yang said with a smile as her dad's face pale at the thought.

"I honestly feel bad for him now," Weiss said watching the whole thing take place. "But Mr. Xiao Long I don't think you should worry about it, because if we know Strom, he'll-"

"Would it be fine if I slept in the tub if there is one?"Strom asked now standing without any trouble breathing.

"Choose to sleep in the tub," Weiss finished and snapped her fingers. "Blake, you called it as well, right?"

"Yeah," Blake said as the two of them shared a high five.

"Uhh, can I ask why?" Taiyang asked confused about why someone would use the tub to sleep.

"Well uhh, I am a fish Faunus," Strom said a little nervously as he removed his scarf showing his gills to Taiyang and Prof. Goodwitch.

"Did you ever play any instrument?" Taiyang asked remembering a violinist that was here years ago but disappeared the next day.

"Well I played violin when I was young, but I had an accident," Strom said and Taiyang snapped his fingers.

"I remember you," he said as he gestured everyone to come inside. "I unlocked your Aura that night to help save your eyes, but I guess that we were too late."

"I don't blame you and I never had blamed you," Strom said as he walked inside. He knew who was behind his blindness. "I have come to terms a long time ago. So please, do not feel bad for me."

"Wow how time flies," Yang said looking at the clock and hoping to change the mood of the room. "I'm going to bed early."

"I like the sound of sleep," Strom said as the lack of sleep from yesterday was catching up to him. "Anyone and everyone should use the bathroom before me, please do so now."

After everyone was situated with a bed and cleaned up, they went to bed to recover from last night. Taiyang was about to head to bed when he heard the front door open. He went to see who entered but found no one was to be found. He stepped outside to find Strom looking at the sky.

"Do you see something that you like?" Taiyang asked Strom who had his band off.

"No, I don't see anything in the sky," Strom said saddened not being able to see the stars. "I still remember the white dots in the sky, but now it's just clouds, if there were any out."

"I never got to ask, but how do you feel about Yang?" Taiyang asked tensing slightly before relaxing. "You are a good kid, but why do you like Yang?"

"When we first met, she treated me as if I didn't have a band over my eyes. Heck, she suggested that I take everyone on the team out to dinner," Strom said remembering the first time he met Yang. "She wanted to learn and know how I see and how I became blind when others would just ask me how I am doing. One day, she reminded me of a friend that I had before they passed away. However it was a sad memory that was brought up and in that moment, I felt a drive to protect Yang."

"I see," Taiyang said as he looked at the stars taking a picture on his scroll. "I hope that she stays happy this time."

"And I hope that I can be the one who will be able to keep her happy," Strom said with a newfound look of determination and joy in his eyes.

"Would you like to see the stars?" Taiyang asked pulling up the picture. "It really is a lovely sight to see."

"If it is no problem for you Mr. Xiao Long," Strom said with a smile as the picture was shown to him. He took in the view of the picture with a smile. "Thank you for the chance to see stars again."

"No problem, and please call me Tai," Taiyang said now smiling at Strom. "Now that we have passed the hiccup this evening, how much do you like puns?"

"Well Yang does give good puns that I like," Strom said remembering the times he laughed. "Do you like puns?"

"Sadly no, I can't tolerate them," Taiyang admitted with a little scoff. "Anyways, I'm going to get some sleep and I suggest you do too."

The two headed back inside to get some long needed rest for the night. Everyone slept in peace throughout the night. They would need the energy for what is yet to come.

 **(A/N: Thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it. Now, moving onto news.**

 **I plan to have a Halloween special posted tomorrow around 11:30 pm (EST) though it may come in November.**

 **Second article of news, I have an artist who will be drawing my OC for me (Since I have no talent what-so-ever). He does commissions as well. He posts his artwork on Instagram and his name is TRIPLE_S_ART.**

 **Now it's time for me to work on that Halloween special piece. (NON-CANON TO THE STORY.)**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	16. Halloween special

**Happy Halloween and Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate. I will not have any responses to reviews here as well since this is for fun and all of that, but they will be on the next chapter. (:**

Halloween Special

"Happy Holidays everyone," Ruby shouted when she woke up. "I can't wait for trick-or-treat time! All the candy will be ours."

"Why do I feel like that would be something Roman Torchwick would say," Blake said now looking up from her book.

"Ruby could you keep it down," Weiss complained from underneath her pillow. "Some of us still want some sleep before the day."

"By 'us' do you mean you?" Strom asked now leaving the bathroom of the dorm room. "Everyone else is up except for you."

"I'm sorry that I require sleep in order to function properly," Weiss said sarcastically. "Ugh anyways, Ruby don't you think that you're too old for this."

"Gasp, Weiss," Ruby said in shock. "Are you suggesting that we should not go out trick-or-treating tonight just because we are a little older than all of the other kids? Are you suggesting that we should not have fun dressing up and go have some fun? Are you suggesting that the creator of this story should consider about making a- MHmmm."

"That's enough Ruby," Yang said as she covered Ruby's mouth. "You're speaking nonsense now. Hey I heard that there was a party going on at Junior's Club, but it's meant for those who are more mature than you Rubes."

"MHMm, pah, what does that mean?" Ruby asked with a pouting face towards her sister. "I'll have you know that I can be plenty mature. Why, you may ask. Milk, milk is my answer."

"Well, since that we have a day off from classes I think it's a great time to pick out costumes," Blake said placing her book down and faced everyone else. "I'm thinking about going as Buttercup from A Princess Bride."

"And here I thought you would go as a character from one of your 'other' books," Yang said with a sly grin. "And with that said… Nora what are you doing here?"

"This chapter is non-canon to anything else in Fighting Fury," Nora said dressed as a pancake. "Ren, did I say the line correctly?"

"Yes Nora," Ren said quietly, while he was dressed as a cook. "It was supposed to be something different, but it will do."

"Hey guys," Jaune said as he came in wearing a suit. "I am so pumped for the party in Vale. I'll be my favorite villain from X-Ray and Vav comics, the Corpirate."

"That name sounds like a drunken man made in five minutes," Weiss said unimpressed as she looked to Pyrrha's costume with a smile. "And who are you suppose to be Pyrrha?"

"I do believe that I am Hilda from X-Ray and Vav," Pyrrha said looking towards Jaune for confirmation. "Although I don't think that I could have her purple hair."

"Well, I will be Little Red Riding Hood from the bedtime stories that Yang would tell me," Ruby said with a giant grin. "Weiss, what are you going to be?"

"I was thinking about being the Ice Queen from Narnia," Weiss said bringing up a picture. "I guess that we can have some fun for today."

"And the next holiday, but we'll talk about that later," Yang said with a grin. "I don't know who I'll be just yet, but Strom who are you going to be?"

"Well, I think that I'll be Zenyatta from Overwatch," he said with joy. "I asked Ruby for some help with the mask."

"And it fits perfectly now," Ruby stated remembering the details and issues that they had. "I still can't believe that it was your jaw that was the issue. It was a perfect fit."

"Ruby I couldn't talk at all," Strom said remembering the problems as well. "And at one point you had to get my head out of the mask because I got stuck."

"Well what are we waiting for, Christmas?" Ruby asked excitedly, ready to go to the party. "Let's go party down!"

"Ruby the party doesn't start until seven tonight," Yang informed Ruby, who quickly deflated in disappointment. "But that will give us plenty of time for final touch ups on our costumes."

"Yes, we can make final touches to our costumes," Ruby said who quickly recovered from brief disappointment. "But, Yang I thought you didn't have a costume yet."

"I don't but who says that I won't come up with one, or come up naked," Yang said earning a smack on her head from her sister, and red blush from Strom and gaping jaws from everyone else. "Ow! But luckily I already have an idea of who I want to be."

"Well don't keep us waiting, what is it?" Nora asked getting close to Yang's face.

"Well, I think that I will be dressing up as Mercy from Overwatch," Yang said backing up from Nora to gain some personal space. "I already have the costume nearly ready. I just needed time for some more adjustments."

"All right then we will have a work montage after this message from our sponsors," Ruby said looking in the air.

"I think that Ruby needs a psychiatrist," Strom whispered to the rest of his team. "This is not normal of her."

"It's like she thinks that she is in a play or something," Blake said remembering something like this in one of her books. "I think what she is doing is called breaking the fourth wall."

"But that's my favorite wall," Weiss complained earning a chuckle from Strom.

"What can we do to stop this?" Yang asked as everyone turned to Blake.

"Hey just because I read, doesn't mean that I know everything about the world," she said then remembering what Ruby said. "I think if we pull whatever she had talked about off, that should set up for a transition to something different."

"And you think that your idea will work?" Weiss asked taking another glance at their leader who was eating cookies now. "I think she's done."

"It doesn't hurt to try," Strom said as they all set out to work.

They worked hard on their costumes for the party. Ruby and Strom worked on other metal parts for his costume. Any pieces that needed welding got welded by Ruby, who used Strom as a welder. They even managed to make simple holographic hands to come out of the back. When he wore the entire costume, everything worked just fine. As the finished up the clock had shown that it was six and that they needed to go to the party. As they left, they found Prof. Goodwitch and Prof. Ozpin checking up the garden for any toilet paper that students might have thrown.

"I still can't believe that you dressed up as a witch, Glynda," Ozpin said taking a sip from a mug that said "Number one Headmaster". "Kind of boring and not very well thought out."

"Says the 'Headmaster of Hogwarts', and besides, the word witch is in my name," Goodwitch argued back pointing to the beard. "Where did you even get that anyway?"

"James let me borrow it for this holiday," Ozpin said and Goodwitch nodded her head and looked to find the group heading towards the airships. "You know he has always been a big fan of this kind of stuff."

"Should we ask them where they are going?" Goodwitch asked as Ozpin turned to see who she was referring to and took a sip from his mug.

"No, because they have already told me in advance," he said returning to the bushes and found an unopened set of toilet paper. "Hah, amateurs. They can't even remember to pull it out of the package now."

"Actually Headmaster, it fell out of our dorm on accident," Velvet said popping her head down from the second story window. "Can we have it back please?"

"Oh… well… accidents happen," Ozpin said as he tried to throw it up to the student only for gravity to take effect and brought the package back down to land on his face and knocked the mug from his hand. His face changed into anger. "Nothing and I mean nothing messes with my coffee and gets away with it!"

He threw the package back into the air, pulled out his weapon from his cane and viciously shredded the toilet paper everywhere. It went into the garden, the fountain, across the school grounds and some pieces managed to land on Velvet's head.

"Ozpin," Goodwitch said coldly, looking at the entire mess with a scowl and a vein that looked like it would burst from her head. "You just made our lives harder with your overreaction."

"It was completely justifiable, Glynda," Ozpin said not opening his eyes. "Nothing should ruin a good cup of coffee."

"Even though I saved your drink?" She said causing the headmaster to go pale as he looked at his own mug safely in her hands. "I expect you to get started on cleaning this up now."

"Yes ma'am," Ozpin said as he started to pick up pieces of toilet paper confetti.

Teams RWBY and JNPR made it into the club with compliments from Junior. When they made it onto the floor, they started to have fun dancing the night away. There was food and drinks that were non-alcoholic offered to everyone, since the party was meant to be for fun. Ruby had to take a trip to the restroom and found a bubble maker in the hallway. Curiosity got the better of her and she pressed the button. Bubbles started to be rapidly produced and she had fun playing and popping them. Unbeknownst to her, a bubble made it outside and a man saw it and got upset.

"Hey who blew this bubble?" He shouted loud enough over the music to get everyone's attention and get the music put on pause. "Whoever did it, bring yourself here for your punishment."

"Dude relax," a man who was holding a drink said. "It's just a bubble, not thEEEEEEEeeeeeeee…."

The man was punched out of the club by the man who was furious, causing everyone to get slightly panicked. Junior had weapons forbidden for the night so even the henchmen were skittish.

"Now, what is going on?" Ruby asked quietly to both teams as they watched the man and his gang starting to group together.

"Oh some random guy is upset about a bubble that someone blew," Weiss said casually.

"Oh I didn't think that anyone would mind," Ruby said now looking guilty about the incident in front of her. "There was a bubble machine in the hallway before the bathrooms."

"Aww man, I was hoping that it would be safe there," Jaune said, saddened about learning the bubble maker's usage. "You guys are quiet, why?"

"Well it just shows that you two are the people he is looking for," Yang said as she pointed out the upset man and his gang.

"Now everybody line up," the man shouted and everyone got in a line quickly. "DJ, time for the test."

The DJ of the group just walked up to the stand and started to play a disk that Jaune, Ruby, and Pyrrha all knew too well. Jaune and Ruby wanted to run out of the club right then, while Pyrrha looked like she wanted to bash her skull open.

"Ruby, it's the Pumpkin Pete's cereal jingle," Jaune said afraid of what will happen if they were found.

"I know," Ruby said with equal fear as the song played. Pyrrha groaned mentally as she hated this jingle.

~Oh I'm a Pumpkin Petey yeah, you're a Pumpkin Petey yeah, we're all Pumpkin Peteys yeah, Pumpkin Pumpkin Petey Petes yeah~

"No baby can resist singing along to this," the man said as he walked down the line of people trying to find who he is looking for. Before he walked past Junior, who coughed into his hand, he was on the case. "It was you! You're the baby."

"No no, I only coughed, I swear," Junior said getting the man's 'I'm watching you gesture' in return.

"DJ, turn it up louder," the man said as he passed Junior who sighed in relief and decided to continue to sing the song in his head. As the man stopped in front of Ruby and Jaune, who were trying their hardest to not sing and showed every sign of a struggle. He smiled and started to taunt them by singing the jingle. "I'm a Pumpkin Petey YEAH, you're a Pumpkin Petey YEAH, we're all Pumpkin Peteys YEAH."

Ruby and Jaune gasped for air and to sing the rest of the jingle when out of nowhere two new voices came in. "Pumpkin Pumpkin Petey Petes YEAH."

The music stopped and everyone turned towards the two who sung the final part of the jingle. Blake recognized Adam and his Lieutenant from the Faunus rally, who just stood next to each other not believing that they just sung that last part.

"Well well well, Which one of you babies was it?" The man shouted as the two of them started to cower and try to push the other under the bus as they spoke at the same time.

"It was him, uhh, he did it," They were in perfect sync. "I've never had a bowl of Pumpkin Pumpkin Petey Petes YEAH!"

 _ **SLAP!**_

They both slapped the others mouth shut hoping to keep the other quiet, but quickly learned that there was no more hope for them.

"Well, looks like we've got ourselves a double baby," the man said as his gang circled around the two faunus and proceeded to beat them in a cluster of fists and kicks they somehow managed to move outside.

"Well that was a thing," Yang said gaining a nod from Strom.

"That it was Yang, that it was," he said then looking for a clock. "Anyone know what time it is?"

"Oh it's… time for us to go home," Yang said disappointed to what the clock said. "Ugh I wish that we could stay here longer."

"I know but we do have a school day tomorrow," Strom said reasoning with Yang as both teams exited the club after Jaune brought his bubble machine. "Why did you have that anyway?"

"I was going to have it for my swordsmanship practice," Jaune lied hoping to keep the truth a secret.

"Oh well I can help out with that then," Pyrrha said gaining a worried look from Jaune. "And maybe after that we could just relax and watch the bubbles in the moonlight?"

"Yeah I think that I would like that," Jaune said happily and Pyrrha smiled brightly and had a red hue to her cheeks.

When both teams returned to Beacon, they found Ozpin still picking up toilet paper confetti. Strom ended the headmaster's misery by having Ruby collect all the paper then had it burnt to nothing. Ozpin was relieved and went to bed. Both the teams went into their respective dorms. Ruby, Blake and Weiss got changed as Strom was outside with Yang.

"That was fun, I would definitely go attend again," Strom said and smiled, but couldn't take off the mask. "Gah, the mask is stuck on me."

"Well, maybe I can help out with that," Yang said with an idea of teasing her boyfriend. "The doctor will be able to see you then."

"Umm, Yang, you're not a doctor," Strom said hoping that he could avoid this conversation with her.

"True, but I do know a lot about both female and male bodies," She continued to tease as she started to unzip the back of her costume. "Maybe you can help me out of this when we get back."

"Yang," Strom said in a very serious tone as she zipped up her costume again. "I think that we should wait until we're out of Beacon for that. I don't want to ruin any chances of you exploring the world or finding your mom."

"Oh Strom," Yang said as she had a slight laugh. "First off, I was just teasing you. Secondly, I am happy that you remembered what I said when we were out with Oobleck. And my final note is that you passed my final test."

"Final test?" He asked, confused about why she would have a final test. "I'm guessing that I passed?"

His answer was a kiss on the cheek, courtesy of Yang. "Does that answer your question?"

"I think that I may need a repeat for when I get this mask off," Strom said hoping that he wasn't pushing his luck.

Yang just laughed lightly as the door behind them opened. "I can give the same answer twice. Come on Strom let's get you out of that quit of armor."

"It's not armor," Ruby said as she described the dimensions and the metal she used. "The best it could do is protecting you from a normal punch."

"Well, whatever we can call it aside; can we get it off now?" Strom asked ready to get the costume off. Ruby, on the other hand, turned pale with worry.

"You wanted to take it off?" She asked timidly as everyone started to enter the room.

"Yes and… Please tell me you didn't weld it so that I couldn't take it off," Strom said hoping to learn that she was kidding, but all he got was a nervous laugh from her. "Ruby… Ruby!"

 **Well that's it for my first off-hand story. I hope that you all have enjoyed reading with piece of… material.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	17. Chapter 15

**Wow, first episode of volume four… Rooster Teeth has stepped up their game. New characters, new looks for past characters, feels and laughter. And of course the most important part is Jaune's hoodie, I mean come on, one can't live without that.**

 **Without further adieu here are my responses to you who reviewed, commented, and all that jazz.**

 **Tyson113: I think a lot of dads would fit that bill of description, but not all of them because I think any parent would want to ask questions about who their child was dating.**

 **And on with the chapter!**

Chapter 15: Family meetings (Part Two)

Strom woke up a little bit later than usual the next morning. He got cleaned up and had done his stretches to loosen up for the day. He opened the door to smell bacon and eggs being cooked. As he walked into the dining room he found Ruby, Yang, and Prof. Goodwitch at the table enjoying the eggs and bacon with a choice of waffles or pancakes. He sat down next to Yang and enjoyed the meal with those who were there to talk to. Blake, Weiss, and Taiyang exited the kitchen with plates of their own.

"This is very good, my compliments to the chefs," Strom said enjoying his meal and orange juice. "So, aside from visiting my family, anything else planned for the day?"

"Well maybe we can show everyone around town and look for things to do," Ruby suggested to everyone. They thought about going into town while they ate.

"I have been meaning to ask, but what do you all plan the tournament for the Vytal Festival coming up soon?" Goodwitch asked since she knew that Strom wouldn't be able to participate in with the team this year. "Since Strom has been challenged from the first position at Signal Academy, he won't be joining you all in the four on four part of the tournament."

"What," Ruby shouted in shock. "When did you learn about this, Strom?"

"After the breach," he answered truthfully.

"And when did you plan on telling us this?" Weiss asked her eyes narrowing in on her target.

"After we got back from our time off," he continued to be honest. "I wanted to give you all a chance to relax without worry before we think about the festival and the tournament."

"Well, at least you had a plan to tell us before the tournament instead of hiding the fact," Blake said after she finished her second waffle. "And there still would be plenty of time for us to think of team moves and techniques."

"You're right, and besides I don't think that all five of us would be allowed in a tournament facing off with four people," Weiss said thinking about the teams. "We would have an unfair advantage when we compete."

"And we can change up the line up every year that we're here," Yang said after giving some thought to it. "We can have a surprise for everyone every year."

"As long as it is not a last minute switch without a good reason," Goodwitch said then taking a sip of her coffee. "Otherwise, you do have the advantage in unique and different setups, but you also have to remember all the team actions and techniques that you use."

"Well that doesn't sound too bad when we have level heads," Blake said thinking about what their professor told them. "But the issue comes into the light when we're fighting for our lives and fear and panic get the better of us."

"So we keep calm and a clear mind and we should be fine during the tournament," Ruby said finishing her third pancake. "So are we done talking about strategies and move on to the present fun plans we are going to do?"

"Well, I guess that we can pick it back up at Beacon," Weiss said with a small smile. "So, Mr. Xiao Long, what do you do for a living?"

"I am Hunter of Grimm and I work at Signal Academy," Taiyang said after he finished his eggs. "Oh, by the way, your father is doing well as a librarian."

"Oh, that's right," Strom said as he remembered the conversation he had with his dad months ago. "I'm happy that he has a job that gave him a chance to work. Did you help him get the job sir?"

"I did help him get the job, and I thought that I told you to call me Tai," Taiyang said looking aggravated about the name. "Sir makes me sound old."

"Well, when did you two become close friends?" Yang asked as she leaned in with a grin. "And you are old, dad."

"You are getting kind of old dad," Ruby said picking at her bacon.

"My girls are turning against me," Taiyang said pitifully. "They're getting to that point of no return."

"I'm sure that they will be grateful for all that you have done for them," Goodwitch said as she patted the man on the back without much emotion put behind it. "It'll be fine, blah blah, all of that mushy stuff."

"Do you really think so?" He asked looking towards the professor with big eyes.

"I don't know," She deadpanned before turning towards the group. "So when do we leave for town?"

"After showers," Yang said pointing out her hair, which was pointed everywhere and messy. "This hair needs extra attention that is needed."

"Just don't use all of the shampoo like last time," Blake said remembering the last time that they had to share a bottle. "We need some for our hair as well."

"Alright, I'll make sure that I save some for the rest of you," Yang huffed as she stuck her tongue out at her partner and left for the showers.

"Well good thing I can heat up my own bath," Strom said as everyone gave him glares that would paralyze a Grimm.

"Strom, I swear if we all have a cold shower you will too," Weiss declared. "Using your semblance like that is unfair for the rest of us."

"I think the one who uses all the hot water is the one who is unfair to the rest of us," he said looking at everyone in disbelief. "Besides why do you all think I take mine last?"

"You fiend," Blake said pointing at Strom.

"How am I the one to take all the blame, when 'someone else' is taking the hot water?" he asked in a shrilled voice that would not be able to compete with Weiss's.

"You fiend," she said again, still pointing at Strom.

"Well, if you feel that strongly about hot water, why don't we all hop in a lake and clean ourselves there?" Strom suggested as every word held sarcasm to it. "Then everyone has hot water."

"And how would we clean ourselves with you there?" Weiss asked in a shrill, high-pitched voice.

"Maybe we could knock out his Aura and he can't see," Ruby suggested thinking that it would lock out his sight.

"I'm sorry to say, but that wouldn't work on me Ruby," Strom said calmly to show that he was serious about this. "It would have worked a long time ago, but I have grown to find a way of using my inactive Aura for sight. I have kept it growing since then."

"Oh, I have an idea of what we can do," Ruby said as a thought came into her mind. "We can go to the Arcade and then we can go meet Strom's family for dinner, or we could visit them and then head out to the arcade all together and then have dinner out. What does everyone think about that?"

"I think we kind of jumped topics there, but I don't see that as a bad idea," Strom said after finishing his plate. "Wait, school should be in session right now. So we can't grab Lily and Boran and head out to the arcade, but after dinner may be a better time to do so."

"Oh, well I guess that will work then," Ruby said as Yang walked through the door with a towel wrapped around her hair and a bath robe wrapped very carefully around her entire torso.

"Ah that was nice," Yang said as she got a glass of water and drank half of it away. "Anyways, the shower is free for grabs."

The rest of the girls with the exception of Professor Goodwitch rushed to see who could get to the next shower with warm water. Yang finished her water and went into her bedroom to get dressed. After a while she exited with her normal outfit and her hair looked mostly dry and a brush in her hand.

"Do you need help brushing your hair Yang?" Strom asked trying to not show any fear towards how she reacts when her hair gets messed with.

"Sure Strom, that would be nice," she replied and Taiyang dropped the spoon that was about to put some eggs into his gaping mouth. Strom sat behind Yang as he started to follow all the directions that Yang spoke for how she wants it done. Goodwitch went to go get another cup of coffee. She started to pour another cup as she heard what came out of Yang's mouth. "Did you break a hair Strom?"

"Well… yes I did, I'm sorry, I know how much you like your hair, because I know how much I like your hair," Strom responded as Taiyang dropped the spoon again and Goodwitch turned not paying any attention to what she was doing, not ready for what would happen next.

"Strom, I love a lot of things," Yang started keeping her eyes closed. "I love Ruby, I love my family, I love fighting and having a good time, I love the team that I am with. Strom, I love you more than I love my hair. So don't worry about breaking a strand or two, but don't make me bald either, okay?"

Strom chuckled a little before he continued brushing her hair with a smile on his face. "Of course, Princess of the Sun. Oh, Prof. Goodwitch, you're spilling coffee."

"Oh, uh, I'll clean it up," Goodwitch said now out of her shock of what she had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Taiyang still had his mouth open and couldn't believe what he just witnessed. Yang didn't get upset at all about her hair being touched. He continued to look at the two as he was still trying to process what had happened.

"Dad, are you okay?" Ruby asked cocking her head to the side a little as she was now with dry hair and in her clothes and red hood. She looked at the direction where her dad couldn't seem to look away. "You look like that you have seen something… UNNATURAL!"

"Ruby do you really have to be this loud when other people are around?" Weiss started to scold at Ruby, who was in as much shock as her dad as she was pointing at the spectacle still. "Why are you pointing… that…. way?"

Blake just entered the room and saw everything in front of her. Needless to say that she was shocked as well, but recovered first. "Alright so are we just going to stare at them like it's a new species, or are we going to figure out what to do until we go and meet Strom's family?"

"Well, I guess that we can go early and meet mom and dad," Strom suggested to everyone who thought about it. "Or maybe meditate, train and-"

"We'll choose the first option," the collective response of Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang said causing Strom to laugh a little bit. Goodwitch had a sigh of relief as well.

"Okay, but first, Yang is this acceptable work on your hair or a few more brushstrokes?" Strom asked looking at Yang's hair to make sure it was acceptable work. Her hair seemed a little bit more tame than usual.

"Oh, this feels really nice," Yang said with her eyes closed to focus on every stroke that was done. "Maybe a few more strokes, because I like the feeling. Otherwise you did an awesome job."

"That's good to know since I don't really know anything about hair care like you do Yang," Strom said brushing gently from the scalp down to the tips. "It has almost been a week since we started dating Yang, and yet we known each other for a little more than a semester. It's amazing how life works in our lives."

"Yep, and I am glad that it all happened," Yang said as she felt the brushing come to an end. "Well, I have to say that this is well done for a first try. Maybe you can grow out your hair and I can brush it for you."

"Maybe, but I think that it will take a long time for that," he said pulling at his hair. "It has been growing though."

"Well now that we have all seemed to have recovered from shock," Weiss said looking at the time. "Maybe we should head out and go meet Strom's family now."

"I'll second that," Ruby said wanting to put it to a vote. "That's two for meeting Strom's family and zero for... wait we already had a vote earlier."

"Glad to see you remember," Strom said looking at his leader with a small grin. "But I think that we're missing someone. And by that I mean Goodwitch has left for the showers I presume."

"So, we wait until she is done and then we all can go," Blake said pulling out a book to bring and read. After some time has passed, Goodwitch came into the living room with her usual attire.

"Okay, lead the way Strom," Ruby said and everyone left the house.

Mona was washing dishes on her day off from work when she heard the doorbell ring.

"I wonder who that could be," she said putting down the plate she was drying to go see who was at the door. "Strom, you're home! Oh, everyone is anxious to see you when I told them about yesterday."

"They are, sorry I didn't come here first," Strom said looking down in shame. "But we'll be able to stay and help out all day, or at least I will."

"Its fine Strom, all that there is to do is dishes and laundry," Mona reassured. "Now come on in everyone I can't wait to meet you all."

"This is a nice little place you have here," Weiss said looking at the art and some pictures around the living room. "Does everyone here play an instrument?"

Mona was folding the laundry and laughed a little nervously as she remembers what happened. "Well, Lily plays a variety of instruments, and Strom played the violin. Boran was more focused on martial arts than anything else. He wants to become a huntsman as well, but I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Mom, it's okay, I told them everything that happened," Strom said gently as he was helping with the clothes. "I'm sorry that I couldn't have been around and be a big brother for them."

"Strom, it's not your responsibility to help with them to grow up," Mona said with gentle eyes and a small smile. "It's your life; you get to choose what to do with it. Darrel and I can only hope to guide you."

Weiss looked at the two and felt envy for them. She wished that she had a family like he had or that Ruby and Yang had, but she had her family. All she could do was help to make her family a better one once she has figured out a way. "Well, I'm sure that your siblings will be overjoyed to see you again Strom."

"Oh I agree. You should have seen their faces when they met me on the holidays," Strom said remembering what happened. "They thought that I was an intruder, so Boran slams me into the ground and pins me while Lily blares a trumpet in my ear. Mom and dad come down to see what happened and find the two shouting in triumph declaring "We caught the bad guy, we caught the bad guy," and then they were told the news and their look was priceless, so I was told."

"I wondered what they looked like," Ruby wondered trying to figure out what the best face would be for that situation.

"I have a picture in the scrapbook if you all want to look for yourselves," Mona said bringing out the scrapbook filled with pictures of the entire family.

"Ooh, Yang look at this," Ruby said as she pointed to the man with stormy gray hair and two long rabbit ears coming from the top of his head. His eyes were a calm blue. She noticed while she was looking at him and his wife and their size difference. "His ears are adorable."

"Oh and look at baby Strom," Yang said once she found the picture she was looking for. The entire group came over to see the pictures. "Awwee, he's so adorable."

"Oh this must be Lily," Blake said seeing the baby with two very small horns on the sides of her head. The next photo had Boran and his cat ears like his mother. "They're all blonde except for you Strom."

"Yeah, but they have blue eyes instead of red," Mona said looking at the photos. "Still, all of them are precious gems to me and Darrel."

They all continued to look through all the pictures for a few hours. The time was past four in the afternoon. Ruby had found a picture of Strom when he wore a small suit for his first violin performance.

"AHH, there's a tiny Strom in a little suit," Ruby squealed as she showed everyone else. Not realizing that there was a baby picture that might have been showing a full moon.

"Eh-heh, Ruby, as much as the suit is adorable do you think that you could spare us from the picture next to it?" Yang suggested as everyone's face turned red with embarrassment. Luckily Goodwitch was more focused on the portraits that showed Lily with instruments.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked before looking at the picture herself. "Oh, sorry."

"Well, I think that is enough looking at photos," Blake said before turning towards the clock. When will the others be home by?"

"Well I think they should be home before dinner, which is five," Mona said not looking at the time.

"Uh mom, it's four already," Strom said looking at the time. "Shall I help you make dinner?"

"Wow I really slipped there," Mona said as she looked at the time. "Well, I guess that you can help me out."

As they set out to cook, the other members of team RWBY and Goodwitch started to talk about school again and the upcoming tournament. As the time passed the door opened and three people entered. A burly man with tall rabbit ears had wheeled himself inside, followed by a boy with short, blonde hair and two cat ears on the top of his head and a blonde haired girl with horns that started to curl around her head. She carried an instrument case on her back and in her hand. The father looked into the living room to find guests sitting there.

"Mona, I didn't know that we would be having guests over tonight," Darrel said as he wheeled himself over to greet his guests. "Greetings, I am Darrel Teitsia, and you are?"

"I am Ruby Rose, this is Yang, my sister, she is Weiss Schnee, and that's Blake Belledonna, and together with Strom we make team RWBY," Ruby said introducing the team with a bright smile. "Oh, and this is our professor of sparring and combat, Ms. Goodwitch."

"Professor Goodwitch, Ruby," Goodwitch said slightly scolding the energetic leader. "But I want to thank you and Mona for letting us be over here this evening. Strom will be an excellent Hunter. I already see a lot of potential from him, and he has been getting better."

"Well that's good," Darrel said before the younger siblings realized who she was talking about.

"WAIT STROM IS HERE!?" They both shouted at the same time as Boran just dropped his belongings and rushed to the kitchen in hope of finding his brother there. Lily wanted to rush but didn't want to break her instruments. "Wait for me!"

Everybody turned their heads as they watched the two run into the kitchen to find their brother. After two loud "Oofs" from Strom and a scolding from Mona about not running inside the house, everyone met in the living room as dinner cooked.

"So this is your team huh?" Darrel said looking at the four girls. "So you did manage to get onto a team of cuties."

"DAD!" Strom shouted his face turning red with embarrassment. His dad continued much to Strom's displeasure and embarrassment.

"And that you managed to gain a girlfriend as well, I'm proud of you Strom," Darrel said with a grin that showed how much fun he was having. "So who might be the lady who took our Little Guppy's heart?"

"Oh quit being so dramatic Darrel," Mona said looking at him knowing that she told them what happened. "You know who exactly who it is."

"True, but you know how much I like teasing," he said with a grin. "So anyways it really is a pleasure to meet all of you, especially you Yang. I actually thought that Strom wouldn't be thinking about finding a girlfriend or anything serious until he was older."

"Well I just want to thank you both for letting us be together and for bringing him into this world," Yang said linking arms with Strom.

"Just make sure that I won't be having any trouble from the two of you," their professor said looking at the two of them with a deadpan expression. "I'm certain that the both of you aren't ready for… little Stroms and Yangs running around."

"All we can ask is that the both of you use protection for the time being," Mona said looking at the both of them with a serious look. "None at all would be better, but teens do get… frisky."

The entire team had a look of embarrassment but Strom and Yang were red as Ruby's cape. They moved away from each other, but were close enough to have their hands over the other.

"I, uh, I was thinking that we wouldn't do such things until after we get married. If we make it that far, that is," Strom said looking down to avoid all attention but knew that everyone was looking at him. He then turns to Yang with a serious look of determination. "But I'm willing to make it that far with you as long as you are Yang."

"Then we better start planning for the future if we're going that far, Sunfish," Yang said as a little flirt and a wink to add before taking things seriously again. "However, we should make it through Beacon first and then get enough money for a little place of our own, or maybe have the entire team live together for a while longer. If anyone would like to consider that is."

"I like the sound of that," Ruby said thinking of it as a giant slumber party. "We would be together and fight Grimm, tell stories, have parties with cake and ice cream."

"Well we would have to work hard for it first," Blake said reminding Ruby of steps that need to be taken first. "But I think we also have some more priorities that may have to come before that as well."

"Like the White Fang?" Boran said with a look of disgust. "I hope that you all teach the guy a lesson for what he did to Strom."

"We'll make sure that he hears from us, right Blake?" Weiss asked Blake who tensed up enough to be noticed by Goodwitch and Strom.

"Yes, of course," She said trying not to show signs of weakness or hesitation. Unfortunately for her, Boran and Lily both picked up her slightest hesitation.

"Oh, dinner is ready," Mona said as she heard the timer go off and rushed to the kitchen. "Lily, Boran, can you both help me set the table?"

"Yes mom," they said and left for the kitchen, glancing at Blake before they went through the door.

"Do you think that they figured it out?" Ruby whispered to her team forgetting the fact that the in the house Faunus have excellent hearing.

"Oh I think we've all figured out that Blake is a Faunus. A cat, just like Mona and Boran," Darrel said with a smile. "I can understand why you would like to hide your heritage, but you can't hide the fact from everyone you meet forever. Now let's eat shall we."

"It's alright Blake," Yang said hoping to help her partner feel better. "I don't think that they will hold it against you for your history."

"You really don't have a lot to worry about," Strom said as everyone got closer to the kitchen. "I'll try to keep them off of you should they get nosy."

"Thank you," Blake said before smelling the aroma in the air then getting excited. "Fish?!"

As everyone sat down at the table and began their meal Strom had an idea to hopefully brighten everyone's mood. He folds his hands together in a praying motion over the cooked fish in front of him.

"Oh my fish brethren, I hope you can forgive me for my acts of cannibalism," he said now waiting for everyone's reaction. It was slow but surely enough, Ruby started to break along with Lily and Boran. Then Mona, Blake, Yang and Darrel started to laugh as well. Weiss gave a small laugh while Goodwitch just shook her head with a smile. "Yes, I pulled off a pun!"

"Strom that's not what a pun is," Yang said recovering from her laughter. "A pun is a play on words. So something like, "Well that was a rather 'fishy' joke" is a pun. What you did was more of joke than a pun."

"Oh," Strom said as everyone settled down for a nice meal. "So we planned on going to the arcade after dinner and wanted to extend the invitation to everyone."

"Oh, can we go?" Boran said looking towards the parents for a sign of approval. His ears were perked up high.

"Well since it is the weekend tomorrow, I don't see why not," Mona said looking towards Darrel. "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

"Well not much, but I need to rest up and get some work done at the library at Signal," he said thinking about the books that needed sorting. "So I will not be joining you all tonight."

"I'll stay home and spend some time with Darrel then," Mona said then looking at the kids. "You all can go out and have fun."

"I'll be staying here as well, I think that an arcade will bring me nothing but headaches," Goodwitch said. "Besides, you are all growing hunters and huntresses in training, I'm sure that you'll be fine."

"Okay after dinner we hit up the arcade," Yang said pumping a fist in the air. "Live the night everyone, time waits for no one."

After dinner the kids went off to the arcade as the adults stayed at the house to talk. When the group made it to the arcade Lily, Boran and Ruby bolted to see what prizes that they could earn. Weiss just looked away since she knew that the prizes would be a rip off. Blake saw a fish stuffed animal but looked away since it wasn't the real thing. Yang and Strom went to play some games together.

"Wow, I'm surprised that you don't put this much focus into your studies Ruby," Weiss said to her partner who was completely focused on earning enough tickets for a prize she saw.

"Shh, this game requires the most patience possible," Ruby whispered to Weiss. "I will try to get that game console that Yang and I used to play when we were kids. No, I missed!"

"Are you going to be fine Ruby," Weiss asked in concern since her partner had dropped her head onto the machine, only to rise again with a burning determination of getting that console.

"Weiss, coin me," Ruby said holding her hand out for a coin.

"Fine, but remember this is your money not mine," Weiss said as Ruby went to play the game again.

Blake was walking around to find Lily and Boran playing a piano game. They turned to look at her, then each other with a nod.

"Hey Blake, can we ask you a question?" Lily asked in a serious tone, all the while not taking her eyes away from the game and playing every note perfectly. "It has to deal with how you reacted when Boran said The White Fang. Now, why did you tense up at the mention of Strom and White Fang?"

"Well, it's because-," Blake started to try and find a way out of her situation, but was stopped by Boran, who completely stopped his game and looked at her.

"No stalling, no lying, no running away and no hesitations," he said looking fiercely at Blake. "Our big Brother, who we look up to, was hurt by someone in the White Fang years ago, they were peaceful at the time so we want to know why Strom was hurt by someone in the White Fang and make them pay for what they did."

"Wouldn't you do the same if one of your siblings was hurt by someone," Lily said still playing the game without interest, although still perfectly. "What do you know about it? Don't worry, whatever is said here between us three will stay between us three, right Boran?"

He just sighed and looked at Blake's bow which has been twitching since they started to talk. "Fine, it will be a secret."

Blake was half relieved and scared witless. She took a deep breath to calm down and started from the beginning. "Yes, I have a very good idea who hurt Strom."

"Continue," Lily said wanting to know everything.

"Well, I guess that I should start with how I met Adam," Blake said telling her tale of being in the White Fang carefully not to gain the notice of the other people around the three. She continued to explain of why she wanted to be a huntress and left the White Fang as well as remember the details of the night that Adam went to the theater to the best of her ability. She also told them Strom's story that he had told his team.

"Is that everything?" Boran asked looking at Blake calmly.

"Yes, yes it is, and I just hope that I can help to make it right," Blake said looking down waiting for them to respond, eyes closed. She felt pairs of arms wrap around her. "Why?"

"Well, it's because you want to make things right," Lily said then smiling proud of herself. "The second is that Strom lost his bet to us."

"What?" Blake asked thoroughly confused about what she just heard.

"We made a bet with Strom saying that we, eleven and thirteen year olds, couldn't scare someone from his team," Boran said smiling widely. "Granted we made this bet on our way to the arcade, we still would have confronted you about this, but why not get a little bonus from it."

"So all we need you to do is just say that we frightened you Blake," Lily said releasing Blake from her hug. "And you bow is very cute. Do you think that I would look good in one?"

"Uh," Blake responded still confused as to what is going on. "I think I may need to sit down for a while. Wait what did he agree to do if you both won?"

"He would play his violin for us," Boran said nudging towards Lily. "It was more of her idea for that one."

"Hey, he should not give up on something that he loves," Lily said looking at the time. "Shall we go get our prize on the way?"

"Well, I am curious to what he will do with the violin your family sent him," Blake said as they all walked to find Strom.

Everyone had a great time at the arcade. Ruby barely had any money left after she had worked hard to get the game console, but was happy anyways. Strom was shocked that his brother and sister had managed to scare Blake of all people. Yang laughed a lot when she saw his reaction. Weiss actually loosened up and played a few games, while Blake just played the piano game with Lily and Boran. When they all returned to the house they found Goodwitch looking at her scroll with a frown on her face.

"Team RWBY, I am afraid that I have some bad news," Goodwitch said closing her scroll as everyone started to guess all of their fears at the same time.

"My father is coming for the Vytal festival?" Weiss guessed in horror.

"We have to spend more years in training before we can become hunters and huntresses?" Yang said getting pale.

"Ozpin is going to charge extra for cookies?" Ruby said eyes widening.

"They're canceling the Vytal festival?" Strom said disappointed.

"Beacon isn't going to be serving any fish anymore?" Blake said nearly passing out at the thought.

"No, no, no, no, and no," Goodwitch said pinching the bridge of her nose. "The mess in Vale has been cleaned up, so Ozpin asked us to come back immediately."

"Oh," everyone said at the same time. Ruby then cleared her throat. "So when do we leave."

"Immediately," Goodwitch said knowing that she would miss these days of quiet and yet looking forward to be working again. "So get your bags and meet up with the airship that will pick us up at these coordinates."

"Okay," everyone said and went to work. Strom said goodbye to his family while Ruby and Yang said their goodbye's to their dad. Before they left for the airship Lily and Boran ran up to make sure that Strom will own up to his deal. He nodded and said that he would let them get into a call so that they could hear a live performance of him playing the violin after so much time has passed.

When everyone returned to Beacon, team JNPR had asked the team a bunch of questions of what happened and where they went. Both of the teams were ready and excited for the Vytal festival. Later in RWBY's dorm room, Strom had pulled out the violin that his family had sent him and went up to the balcony and stared at the instrument.

"So when do you plan to play it for real?" Yang asked as she followed him to the balcony.

"Once I get used to handling one again and get over my trauma that happened years ago," he replied softly.

"I understand that you are scared and it can bring up bad memories, but sometimes all we need is a push forward," Yang said as she took the violin and placed in his hands.

"You… you're right," he said as he positioned the violin and prepared it to be played. He placed the bow onto the strings and hesitated for some time.

"And sometimes we need more than one push," Yang said as she placed her arms on top of Strom's and started to help him play the violin. It wasn't the best sound that was made, and Strom quickly fixed the problem of the sound on his own with a slight adjustment of his hands. Soon making a more beautiful sound, he lost himself in that sound of the violin and didn't even realize that Yang had long since let go of his arms. "You did it Strom! That was beautiful to listen to."

"Yes, it was, thank you," he said looking into Yang's eyes and smiled. "But I still think that you are lovelier than even the most beautiful sound of the violin."

She smiled as he placed the violin down. They wrapped their arms around each other and started to dance under the moon as they had during the ball dance. And once again they met each other with a kiss as they danced before they went to bed.

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and hope to see you next week. Also Klein is best butler/second father figure.**

 **I can't wait to remind myself of the Volume of major feels that is volume 3.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	18. Chapter 16

**Wow, this story has certainly grown from the hiccups that are chapter 1 and 2. This story now has over 100,000 words for you all to read and enjoy. I never even thought that I would write that much in my lifetime and yet here I am with a milestone broken. Now I don't plan to end the story soon, but there are some things that I need to say to you all.**

 **First off I thank every single one of you who have read and reviewed this story. I want to thank those who have followed and favorite this story as well. Just you are all amazing and I really appreciate that you all can take the time out of your lives to read my story.**

 **Sigh, I really was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this.**

 **As you all know that this will be the start of Volume 3 in this story and I will continue it through volume 4, but the main issue is what to do after that point. After volume four has had its finale and we get hyped and ready for volume 5, my story has a couple of options that can be done.**

 **I can end the story with an ending and possibly make up fights and struggles before the ending.**

 **I can put the story on hiatus when I complete Volume 4 of Fighting Fury and wait to continue it when Volume 5 is completely through its season, and work on other stories that I have in mind. Or even make a story from an idea that one of you want to send in.**

 **Put the story up for adoption… (Yeah most likely not going to happen.)**

 **And finally, Stretch out the story by having a bunch of Omakes. (Same deal with option 3, not likely to happen.)**

 **Now, I am a guy who can't make up my mind, but I can think of all of the pros and cons that each option holds. So I as you all for your opinions for how should I approach this story's end, because a story can't go on forever. Again I still thank you for your time that you all take to read this and my story. I'm sorry this has gone on long enough, but I do hope that you enjoy and continue to enjoy the story.**

Chapter 16: Vytal Festival Prerequisites

Strom woke up a little later than usual on the day that the team needed to sign up and take the exam to participate in the Vytal Festival. Upon waking up, he noticed that something was off. As he sat up and splashed some water around in the tub he heard a shrill shrieking that could only belong to one voice, Weiss."

"AHH, Strom what are you doing here?!" She shrieked making his ears hurt from the pitch. "Don't you always leave your scarf on the doorknob to signal that you're inside?"

"I do, but my scarf needed to be washed and I forgot to leave a note on the door," He said as he shut his sight and couldn't see anything and felt the drain and started to drain the water. "Can you hand me a towel and direct me to the door?"

"What's going on in here?" Yang asked as she, Ruby and Blake rushed to poke their heads in to see the situation. "Oh, I forgot. Weiss, Strom forgot to put up a sign saying that his scarf is in the wash, so he's still in here."

"Now you tell me," Weiss said red from anger and embarrassment as she kept herself on the toilet as she pulled her shirt to cover as much of her legs as possible. She grabbed a towel while keeping one hand on her shirt and threw the towel into Strom's face. "Here's your towel, dry up and get out!"

"Make way," Strom said after he rushed to dry himself and got out of the tub. He ran into the door. "Owww," and the second he guessed that he had to be outside the bathroom, Yang quickly closed the door. "Is it safe for me to look now?"

"Yes it is Strom," Yang said sighing that the situation was over for now. She handed Strom his scarf and his uniform. "Here you go, and I think that the both of us need to find a way to apologize to Weiss."

"Agreed," Strom said taking the clothes from Yang. "So, a special breakfast for her and an apology from both of us should help her find it in her heart to forgive us."

"That will be a start," Weiss's voice came from behind the door. "Another thing we can do is find a solution to Strom's problem for sleeping without water, because when he is out in the desert, he isn't always going to have access to water. So figure it out and get a bed."

"Well, she does make a good point," Strom said reeling back from Weiss's tone. He did not want to be around for when she got out of the bathroom. "I'll just go play the violin and get out of everyone's hair." Then he looked down to see that he only had his black shorts on. "Right after I get dressed."

True to his word, he did pick up his violin and headed outside the dorm fully dressed for class and found all the members of JNPR looking at him with worried expressions. He explained to them what had happened inside the dorm, but did not specify who it was for his own sake.

"So that's what happened," Jaune said after hearing the story. "Well at least no one was hurt, for now."

"You said that you need a way to sleep without being in a body of water, correct?" Ren asked remembering one of the requests made by the victim. "Have you put any thought as how you might accomplish that?"

"Not yet, I mean, I will, but I want to get my mind off of the incident first," Strom said switching the case that held his violin from hand to hand. "Hopefully I can start while I have breakfast."

"Why don't we go there together and help out with that," Jaune suggested then looking at his team to see if any were willing to help. "Any of you want to help with that?"

"Sure Jaune, I would be happy to help out our friends," Pyrrha said smiling and relaxed. "This will be an interesting problem to solve."

"Well, it would help him in the long run," Ren said with a calm composure.

"Yeah, and I feel like we haven't had enough time to actually get to know you Strom," Nora said with a big smile as breakfast came to her mind. "We should talk about it with pancakes."

"That sounds nice," Strom said thinking about the idea. "I might as well plan out a special breakfast for them as well."

"We can help out with that too," Jaune said with a smile, proud that he can be of some help for his friends. "Luckily classes don't start until nine."

"You said it Jaune," Nora said as she slapped her leader on the back, causing him to stumble forward. "Let's go get some pancakes."

Strom and JNPR sat at their usual table and began to think of breakfast ideas and a possible solution for Strom's need of water when he sleeps. Nora wanted to toss fruit into Strom's mouth but was scolded by Jaune, who didn't want another food fight to end with Strom getting back at them all. Pyrrha and Ren were focused with helping out with a breakfast as Jaune thought that Pyrrha would know what foods would help with training early in the mornings and Ren would be knowledgeable of how to cook the meal better. Nora thought that putting a fish bowl around his head would be good enough, but Strom and Jaune both vetoed the idea.

"Awe, come on," Nora whined as she played with her pancakes. "You could be a scuba man with a fish bowl on your head."

"It's still no, Nora," Strom said returning to the problem at hand. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to hear as well as I do now. And don't get me started on people tapping on the glass."

"I thought that it would break quiet easily," Jaune said poking his food with more concentration on the problems at hand. "What about a container that would go around your neck like a scarf, but act like a tank of water?"

"If we can find a way for it to not spill water everywhere and let my neck still twist and move normally without the need for surgery, then I'm set," Strom said listing off requirements that would need to be met for anything to work. "This is not going to be easy to get done in one day."

"What's not going to be easy to get done in one day?" Ruby asked with a tray of food. "I hope that we all get qualified for the Vytal Tournament."

"I know right?" Yang said taking a seat next to Strom. "So, what ideas do you have for your sleeping problems?"

"As of right now nothing," Strom said with his head down in defeat. Then quickly brings it up to show that he hasn't lost hope. "But what I do know is what it has to be able to do."

"Okay, how about two rings that would wrap around your neck and keep a tight grip onto your neck without cutting off circulation of blood flow with a silicon tube that shall be fitted to fit the rings and keep them from rubbing on you and that tube will have a access hole of some kind that way you can fill it with fresh water every now and then," Yang said surprising Weiss and Blake with how much detail and thought must have gone into that. "And you can empty out the water by drinking through your gills or by dumping it out."

"That actually might work," Strom said thinking about the idea. "Well I guess we can give that a try once I find someone to make that. Ren and Pyrrha, how is the breakfast idea coming along?"

"Well, Ren and I thought about a morning salad with eggs and pieces of steak served with sliced apples and pears," Pyrrha said happy and hungry about the thought. "And serve the salad with pecan nuts."

"Well I have to thank you all for your help," Strom said after he wrote down everything he needed. "Do you have a name for this breakfast?"

"Ooh, what about, the JNPR salad?" Nora asked getting excited. "Maybe we can sell the idea for lots of money Ren."

"Nora, do you want to give up fighting Grimm and going on an adventure to cook in a crowded kitchen?" Ren asked knowing what her answer would be.

"I'm fine without the salad," Nora said returning to her pancakes.

"Well, I can get ingredients today and make it tomorrow," Strom said loud enough for Weiss to hear. "As well as to see if I can get Yang's idea made into reality for testing."

"Well enough of that, let's just enjoy the breakfast and get ready to sign up for the Vytal Tournament," Yang said with a smile, excited at the thought of fighting in the tournament. "Who do you think will make it into the finals, besides us of course?"

"Be careful Yang, overconfidence can get you into trouble," Strom warned finishing up his plate. "You don't know how strong everyone else is on their own or what they take into account for battling in different scenarios."

"Yeah, but I know that I'm good to go and Team RWBY will be in the finals," she replied with a big smile and bright eyes that were full of confidence. "We may even win the tournament."

"Strom's right. We don't know a lot about our opponents or what they can do," Blake said as her eyebrows narrowed slightly. "Let's try our best and hold nothing back when we sign up to enter."

"Well, let's just be positive about it," Ruby said making everyone look at her. "I mean we did stop Torchwick. I'm not saying that makes us better than everyone but it's certainly something that we can think of."

"True, but let's not forget our fair share of how many times he got away from us," Weiss said recalling the times they have encountered him. "But, that should be put behind us. We have done well in capturing Torchwick."

"Well then, let's get classes done and then sign up for the tournament," Ruby declared getting excited. "Let's do our best as always."

The teams had their gotten through their classes with a newfound respect for their professors who taught them there. Ever since the shadowing of a huntsman and the breach of Vale, students have been more respectful towards each other and the professors. Goodwitch has managed to seem less intense than usual when it came to her classes, but still was very careful to study and examine every move the students made while sparring. After sparring was over, Yang decided to read and watch some videos that dealt with relationships from the views of other people. She found an interesting fact and wanted to test it out with Strom once classes have passed and the team signed up for the tournament.

"Wow, the prerequisites were tough to be honest," Strom said taking off his tie as everyone entered the dorm. "I didn't think that we would have to fend off other first year teams from taking our chance in the tournament."

"I'm glad that we will be taking a part of the tournament this year, next year may be a different story," Weiss said thinking how the second and third year teams had a harder time keeping their position in the tournament. "So Strom, what do you plan to do?"

"Can you be more specific, Weiss?" He asked as he changed shirts with his back towards his female teammates unintentionally giving Yang some eye candy to enjoy. "Because I have different plans for different things, you know?"

"Okay, what are you going to do about the 'sleeping in the tub situation'?" Weiss asked knowing what he had said this morning.

"Well, after thinking about the idea, it just sounds ridiculous and I'm sorry Yang," he said as he faced Yang. "Water would just leak out from my mouth or the rings when pressure is put on them."

"Eh, no problem," Yang said looking at the time. "It just means back to the thinking station, but in the meantime, Strom, could you come here and take off your band. I would like to see something."

"Okay I don't know what you have planned but okay," he said and complied with her directions. His red eyes that have been faded gray now stare into lilac eyes. "So what happens now?"

"I just want to see what happens when you really look at me with full focus, and look at my eyes," She said calmly as she looked into his eyes with great interest. Watching as the pupils dilate and confirming what she read in the magazine.

"Please tell me that you don't plan to kiss," Ruby complained as she looked away in disgust. "It's gross to watch."

"I just want to see if your eyes dilate when you look at someone you are infatuated with," Yang said giving her eyes a rest. "I just wondered if it would still work even if they had their eyes damaged. And they did dilate, so you can relax now."

"That's a relief, I thought that I did something wrong," Strom said as his shoulders slumped with his sigh. "Okay, well I think that the best option for my situation is to just sleep normally, and drink water when I wake up for any reason."

Yang's eyes shined with an idea, her grim was also an indicator that her idea is dangerously Yang-like. "Oh Strom, we can sleep together for the time being."

"Absolutely not," Weiss shouted with a red face. "You both shouldn't be doing that until after marriage."

"They shouldn't be doing what, Weiss?" Ruby asked innocently as she tilted her head to her left. "It would just be sharing a bed; after all, Yang didn't say that she would have sex with Strom."

"RUBY," it was Yang's turn to shout in shock as Strom's face went red. "Can you be a little more careful about that subject?"

"I think that I'm in a need of a walk," Strom said as he quickly left the dorm hoping that everyone will be calm when he returns. "Everything will be fine, let's just get breakfast ready for tomorrow."

As he walked back from the cafeteria with the supplies that he had ordered from the staffing that worked there, he noticed that he was being followed by three individuals. He recognized them by their auras, although they thought that hiding behind walls and taking peeks around the corner to watch him was clever. They continued to follow him until he got to his dorm, where he quickly placed the groceries in their respective places and rushed out again. He started to walk towards them to confront the stalkers.

"I know that you have all been following me since I left the cafeteria, so just show yourselves," He called out and saw that they tensed up but didn't move an inch. "Come on Mercury, Emerald and Cinder."

"How did you know?" Mercury asked narrowing his eyes slightly before having his mouth slapped shut by Emerald.

"Shut up he could just be bluffing," she whispered before Cinder walked out.

"I was wondering how you see the world Strom," Cinder said with false curiosity. "You can navigate the world perfectly, despite that you wear a band around your eyes. How were you able to get past your limitations?"

"Let me answer your question with one of my own. It's a little bit off track though," Strom said smiling at Cinder. "I have someone who would like to meet you. Will you be willing to meet them?"

"And why should I give up my time for you?" Cinder asked with a slight smile forming on her face. "How do I know that you don't want to learn more about my team and how to fight them?"

"Oh, I didn't think about it like that," he said after hearing her words. "I understand if you think that I would like to give my team an advantage. I'm sorry. I'll just leave now and tell them that you're doing well."

"Why would they be concerned about my health?" She asked stopping Strom from turning away. Her curiosity grew since the only people that would care for her were gone. "Who do you want me to meet?"

"Well, it's a surprise," he said knowing that she will be happy when she meets her sister. "However, we need to be in a quiet place, alone."

"Emerald, Mercury, head back to the dorm and relax," she commanded calmly. "I shouldn't be too long."

"Understood," Emerald said before turning away with Mercury to head back to the visitor dorms. "Who do you think she could be meeting?"

"Don't know, don't care," Mercury said as he kept on walking past Emerald. She turned to see them walking away.

"So you decide to bring me back to the place where you told me that you knew my sister," Cinder said hiding her anger to the best of her ability. "So where is this person?"

"Allow me to show you," Strom said as he entered into a meditative stance. "If you would like to meet them, please rest your hand on my shoulder or where ever you feel comfortable."

"Don't you already have a girlfriend?" She asked knowing that Yang was his girlfriend.

"I do, but please trust me, I have no plans to be cheating on Yang," he said getting a little upset about the thought. "Are you ready?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be," she said placing a hand on his shoulder after sitting on the ground next to him. She blinked to find a scene change. Everything was completely white around her. "Where are we?"

"Cinder, is that you?" a voice came from behind her. Cinder turned around to face a short girl with tears forming in her eyes. She ran to Cinder passing a man and a form of darkness. "It is you!"

"Azure, but Strom said- how are- What's going on?" Cinder asked as Azure hugged her as she hesitantly placed her arms around her sister to find that she was real. "You're alive?!"

"Sorry my dear, but we all have passed on," a man said stepping closer towards the two. "For some unknown reason, Strom is capable of talking to us when he enters a deep meditative state. Oh, where are my manners? I am Elder Trent, and I used to teach Azure and Strom before I recently passed."

"Well this is certainly a lot to take in," Cinder said looking at the shadowed figure. "And who is that?"

"Well that would be me and at the same time not me," Strom said with a small smile. "He used to be a creature of darkness that actually amassed power from those he fought and beaten, but I got lucky enough to end it. Unfortunately he didn't want to leave the world just yet so he fused himself with me."

"Yeah, I gave up my will to secure my survival, but you felt how I did when we had joined together, right?" he asked now sitting down. "But I was able to have my thoughts and have a place here, so I can't complain."

"Yeah, until Elder Trent started beating you when he saw you again," Azure said with smile that showed sadistic thoughts. "Oh it was nice seeing you flail around."

"Oh, shut it pipsqueak," the shadow said as he stretched out on the ground. "At least I didn't get skewered by a Grimm."

"Hey, at least I wasn't turned into a shadow-ka-bob," Azure said no letting go of Cinder to face the shadow to add her next sentence with emphasis. "By my blade no less."

"Come on that's enough out of you two," Trent said shaking his head. "This is a time of reunion and happiness. And for the love of- I have already apologized to you for that shadow."

"So, I can see Azure everyday if possible?" Cinder asked reevaluating her thoughts and opinions of Strom.

"Well, everyday may be pushing it, but I would be happy to let you see her again," Strom said brightly. "Although she may want her personal space, but I don't know that for certain, but don't you have to go back to Haven after the festival?"

"Well, yes I do," Cinder lied not wanting to reveal her plans that she would bring upon to all at the Vytal festival. "I wish that there was some way to be able to keep talking to you Azure. I really missed you."

"Well, I'm kind of dead, but it is nice to see you again," Azure said happy to be reunited with her sister. "I hope you do well in the tournament and give Strom a run for his money."

"Well actually I won't be participating this year with my team, but I do have a match set with the number one of Signal Academy," he informed Azure who seemed a little disappointed.

"Oh well, not much that I can do about it," She said knowingly. "And Strom, don't forget the promises you made to me." He laughed a little and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, I have not forgotten about them," Strom said with a smile as he stopped ruffling her hair. "Have some more faith in me. I am getting older now."

"That's true but you should listen to what everyone says no matter how young or old," Elder Trent said clapping his hand on Strom's shoulders. "I hope you do well in the tournament Strom and please keep Aria secret. I feel dark times ahead of us."

"So, you feel it too old man," the shadow said now on his back. "At least I'm not the only one, but he is right, be wary of who you trust." His gaze looked right at Cinder, who felt a chill down her back. "The enemy may get the better of us if we're not careful. So try not to die, okay?"

"Awe, deep down I knew that you care," Azure said picking on the shadow again. "You do have a heart."

"Yes I do, I just share it with the boy," the shadow responded then turning his back to everyone. "Now, go away so I can get sleep."

"Wow talk about kindness incarnate," Strom said quietly with sarcasm. "Anyways we should head back Cinder, you're team may be getting worried about you."

"I'll try to visit you as often as possible," Cinder said kneeling down and looking at her sister at eye level bringing her into a hug. "One day I will be joining with you."

"I want you to live happily and long. You deserve to live a life how you want to, I can wait," Azure said hugging her sister back. The two of them shifted back and forth and after a minute has passed they separated. "I will miss you, but I will be waiting for the next time that you come with Strom. So don't die, okay? And that goes for you too Strom!"

"Don't worry Azure, I will make sure that we both will stay alive for you," he replied as they both started to fade away. When they opened their eyes they saw the same scenery that they had seen before they left. "I know that it's hard to leave them behind, but remember that they don't want to hold us back and- Cinder?"

She had already left and continued to walk away. She had a smile on her face, but some more work and calls to make before they set out the plan she had in mind. "Oho Strom, you have certainly made things interesting now," she chuckled as she continued to think about the adjustments. _'You have changed my mind about you, Strom. Unfortunately I still plan to end Vale and become the fall maiden. I have to be careful about your shadow friend he knows more than you do. I don't know why, but, Strom, you will come to serve me, even if I make you my mindless pet.'_ She continued to chuckle as she entered her dorm room. "Emerald, Mercury, place Strom on my personal list."

"May I ask why?" Emerald asked as she completed the task that Cinder gave them. "And you seem a lot happier, did something happen that you want to share?"

"Perhaps later, but for now I think that we should rest up and get ready for the first round tomorrow," Cinder said with a smile to the sky. "After all, we have a big event that will happen soon."

"Hey Strom, where have you been?" Ruby asked checking the time. "We were about to go out and look for you."

"I'm sorry that I had you all worried," he said with a slight bow as everyone looked at him slightly worried. "I just had to introduce Cinder to her sister, Azure."

"Oh! You took her there?" Yang asked him and was given a nod in response. "How did she take the news?"

"Cinder was actually good about it when she learned that she can visit anytime, but I made sure that limits were known," He said as Ruby jumped onto him, planting her knees on his chest, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her forehead to his. "GAH, RUBY!"

"OhmyOum,canyoutakeustheresowecanmeethertoo?" Ruby asked in a rush then lifted her head to rub it. "Oww, but can we go meet her too?"

"Calm down Ruby," Yang said as she picked up Ruby. "We don't know if he can bring multiple people with him."

"But we can try," Ruby said still buzzing with excitement. "Where do we get to go?"

"Nowhere," Strom said kneeling down and getting ready to meditate. "Any and all who wish to participate please sit down and place a hand on me."

"This seems a little farfetched if you ask me," Weiss said doubting that anything will happen as she put a hand on his shoulder. "But we might as well try and see."

"I think it's more along the lines of impossible," Blake said hesitantly placing her hand on the other free shoulder. "Yang, just what did you both claim to see?"

"No, I don't want any surprises," Ruby said looking at a spot that was open. She then decided that his lap would be a good spot as she curled into a ball on his lap. "I'm ready to go."

"Dang Ruby, no fair," Yang said before another idea came into her head. "Actually, I have to do something first, but go ahead and go, I'll join up later."

"As you wish," Strom said beginning to meditate and bring everyone with him that was holding on. He opened his eyes to find the white space and those that he knew. "Hello again."

"Strom, you're here so soon and you brought more people," Azure said looking at the group. "Is this the rest of your team?"

"Yes they are," He said smiling to see those that he cared for and then he turned to find that the shadow has not moved since the last visit. "You can at least acknowledge the visitors, shadow."

"Not really since we're the same living being," he quipped as he looked over his shoulder. "Meh, I've seen better."

"Who is that Strom?" Weiss asked angered by the shadow's behavior. "He's rude and he claims to be just like you."

"Well he technically is me, but remember the creature that I talked about before we got to Aria?" he asked and received nods from everyone available. "Yeah, that's him and we kind of fused together although I still hold control of everything."

"So he's a living entity inside of you now," Blake said fascinated by the shadow. "This is just like my book of where a man has two souls that fight over control over his body. Do the two of you fight over it?"

"No, sorry to disappoint little kitten, but he has full control and I have no plans to try and take over," the shadow said placing everyone on edge with his tone. "Besides, remembering to eat and sleep and all of that junk is hard work."

"Oh, so he's lazy," Ruby said as she came to her conclusion, feeling proud of herself. "Well then, at least we won't have to worry about Strom becoming… not Strom."

"That doesn't mean that he can't lose himself," Elder Trent said looking at Ruby with a sad face at the thought. "He shouldn't lose himself easily, but we can't assume, out of all possibilities, that he won't succumb to the shadows."

"And if he does, I'll just have to be bright enough to find him," a recognizable voice said as everyone except for the shadow turned to greet with a smile. "Did you all miss me?"

"Of course we missed you Yang," Ruby said rushing closer to her. "What took you so long to get here?"

"Oh, I just had stuff to do," Yang said with a wink then realizing that there were more individuals in the plane. "Oh and who is this… shadowy friend?"

"How many times am I going to go through this?" The shadow said angered by how many times he had to explain. "I am Strom and yet not him-"

"No, what is 'your' name?" Yang asked more seriously causing the shadow to actually stand up and turn around. "And don't even think that saying shadow will help you because it won't."

"Fine, I don't have a name, happy?" the shadow threw his arms out exasperated and sarcastically. "I was made from darkness and will continue to be darkness, so I don't have a name."

"Well then we should get you a name then," Yang said with a small smile towards the shadow. "Let's get to brainstorming then."

"Why should we help him?" Azure asked a little upset about the idea. "You all do realize that this thing had killed and injured a large amount of people."

"Because, he can't hurt anyone anymore," Yang said walking towards the shadow with her hand out and stopped far enough away that he would have to reach out to shake her hand. "So, do you think you can think of a name on your own or would you like help?"

"Well, it would be nice be known something other than shadow," he said as he reached out to shake her hand. "Don't think for a second that this will make us friends."

"Oh oh, what about Slade the death lord?" Ruby asked energetically, clearly excited to give someone a name. "Or maybe Brian the… actually Brian doesn't work for you. Weiss, do you have any ideas?"

"Well, perhaps Shade might fit him better," Weiss suggested getting a look from everyone else.

"Wow, where did you get that original idea snow pea?" Azure sarcastically asked, covering her face with her palm in the process. "If anything, I like the sound of Nyx for him."

"That's a start," Elder Trent said as he stroked his beard. "Hmm, I think that Itzal sounds a lot better though."

"What about Onyx?" Blake asked looking bored since she wasn't able to have books with her. "You did say that he had a black gem that fused into you correct?"

"Yes there was a black gem, I don't think that Onyx would be a great idea," Strom said trying to think of a name. "I think that Umbra would be the best fit for you."

"Wow, what great names to choose from, it's intimidating," the shadow said rolling his head, before turning to Yang. "Oh let me guess you also have some dark themed name as well."

"Well I don't know about that but Lucian might brighten up your day," Yang said again surprising the shadow. "And if that doesn't work I also have Caden on back up."

"Hmm, Strom I can see why likes so much," the shadow said without any sarcasm or malice behind it. "Well I like Caden, so please call me Caden from now on."

"Well, Caden it is," the elder said shrugging his shoulders. So, now that we can really begin to get to know each other, who would like to start?"

"I think that Caden should go first," Azure said looking up. "None of us know how long he's been around and I want to know how much he knows."

"Well all I can say is that it's a story that everyone will want to sit down for," Caden said as everyone sat down. "So to keep it a short story, I just came into existence, I felt fear and anger which caused Grimm to hunt me until I found Aria, then humans decided to live there and shut me away behind that holy rock. Then after a few dozen attempts for them to take my life, then these two show up and I get bested by Strom."

"Well that is one way to keep it simple," Weiss said looking at her nails then towards Azure and Trent. "We know what happened to the both of you, thanks to Strom."

"Well that was to be expected," Azure said sighing. "Well it'll save time at least, so there are four of you with stories that I'm interested about. Let's start with Blake who hides behind her bow."

"What are you talking about?" Blake responded hesitantly and her bow twitched slightly. "I don't have anything to-"

"Blake, I saw everything that Strom saw," Azure said with a deadpan expression. "Ever since he carried me back to the village I watched over him, being a guardian angel. So I saw your ears, I saw her attitude, I saw Ruby's adorableness, and I saw Yang's love for him. It's something that I wish that I could have experienced before I left this world, but Oum had a different plan for me I guess."

"Aren't you thirteen?" Ruby asked trying to remember her age.

"Physically, yes, I am only thirteen, but I am much older than you think," Azure said looking at Ruby with a pouting face. "I would be twenty right now."

"True, but I think due to your age of passing, you may still act like a child," Elder Trent said patting her on the head. "Might I add the stage of puberty right now?"

"Oh great hormones and broken voices," Azure said remembering Strom when he went through his phase. "I know how well Strom was through it."

"So, I guess that we can start to tell our stories," Strom said waiting for the stories about his team.

As the stories of the team grew, so did the time that they spent in there. From Weiss's tales of her childhood to Blake's past with the White Fang and Ruby's childhood with Yang's struggles to follow after, it was a lot to listen to. Strom and Caden listened to every word like it was their belief. As they started to finish up and wrap up their time with those who have passed away, Caden walked up to the group a little timidly.

"I just wanted to say thank you for giving me a name and not treating me like just an entity as the others had," Caden said before turning away to group up with the others. "Also, Strom, there is a nice present for you that Yang had planned out."

"Haha, I think that we should go now," Yang said with a nervous look on her face. "Goodbye and take care."

"Yang what does he mean by that?" Weiss asked with a little bit of concern and anger.

"It's nothing much, don't worry about it," Yang said with a smile. "Only good things can come out of this. Blake could only pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Why am I worried about it then?" She asked her blonde partner. "Ruby do you know what she has in mind?"

"Nope, but I have faith in that it's nothing bad," the red reaper replied with a bright smile. "Besides, I know where her personal collection is."

"Ruby, please tell me it's not 'that' collection," Yang said with a deadpan expression, hoping that she was talking about a different collection of magazines.

"Oh Yang, you know which collection I'm referring to," Ruby said as her bright smile turned mischievous. "What I don't believe is that you thought that you could hide your subscription to the Guns versus collection: Guns versus Beowolves, Ursa, Deathstalkers, Nevermores and etc."

"Oh, yup, looks like I can't hide much from you Ruby," Yang said sighing in relief it wasn't the collection she thought that Ruby found.

"Well, we'll be going now, until next time," Strom said goodbye to the fallen before returning to the dorm room scenery everything seemed to be normal except for the weight on top of his head. He looked up to find out that it was Yang on top of him, to be more specifically her front assets were resting on his head. "Yang?"

"Yeeessss Strom?" Yang said with a bright smile. "Is something wrong?"

"Well I wouldn't say wrong, but rather-" Strom said before Weiss, Blake, and Ruby saw what Yang was doing and responded.

"Yang Xiao Long," Weiss cried out with a bright red face and an index finger pointed towards the act. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing much just treating Strom to a feel, and giving the girls a rest," Yang said as her smile slowly changed into fear as Ruby pounced onto her. "AAAhhh, Ruby what are you doing?"

"You said that I can stop you before things go too far, so that's what I'm doing," Ruby cried out as she flailed her arms on her sister, who raised her arms to block it. "Blake, I need you to get Strom out of here, and return quickly."

"Ruby, I just want to let you know that I'm fine," Yang said then having her mouth covered by a hand. "This isn't too far, I'll give you cookies if you let me go~."

"Blake, hurry up, she starting to try and bargain with us," Ruby commanded and Blake just shrugged and picked Strom up and knocked on JNPR's dorm room. "Here, we kind of need him out to settle some things. Thanks and sorry." Blake said dropping Strom outside the door taking his scroll and rushed back into the dorm and locked the door.

"Alright, another interaction in a single day," Nora said as she got excited about getting to know Strom. "So how is your day going so far?"

"Well I can say that it's both normal and nice," he said replying her question normally. "So what did you all do after class?"

"Well we all trained together as a team before the tournament that starts tomorrow," Pyrrha said with her usual patient smile. "And later on we plan to train with Jaune at the night before bed."

"So we're really going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Jaune asked before saying what he really wanted to ask. "Strom, what happened in there?"

Strom explained to them what happened inside the dorm leaving out the people that they saw or that they had went to a different area of existence. After hearing this, Jaune nodded and looked towards everyone on his team. They had a small group huddle to talk about and think about how to help out in this situation if at all possible. After numerous attempts of keeping Nora's head from looking at Strom and a promise of pancakes, they came to a conclusion.

"We have come to a consensus that they know what they are doing," Jaune said feeling proud of his meeting. "So we probably won't help by interfering."

"Also the fact that it gave me an idea for Jaune," Pyrrha said quietly enough for Jaune to only pick up his name.

"Did you say something Pyrrha?" he asked making sure that he wasn't hearing things.

"Not at all," she said lying through a convincing grin.

' _Clever, I'll give you that one Pyrrha,'_ Strom thought to himself before returning to the tournament. "So do you all know which team you are facing off in the first round?"

"No, I think that it's completely random," Ren said with his usual composed tone. "No one knows who they will be facing until it shows on the board."

"Alright then, so how has Jaune's training been coming along?" Strom asked looking towards Pyrrha and Jaune.

"He's been doing great, he has improved a lot since then," Pyrrha said with a proud smile towards her leader. "We still have yet to move onto Aura training, but should be coming soon."

"Yeah I haven't gotten to Pyrrha's level of skill, but I can fend on my own a little," Jaune said with his confidence waning a little with the last statement. "I don't know how long I will even last in the tournament."

"Have faith Jaune," Strom said patting his friend on the shoulder. "You may have not had as much time as everyone else has for training, but I can feel the improvement that you made. You should be proud of yourself and keep training, you can catch up and pass us one day."

"Do you really believe that?" Jaune asked looking up to Strom.

"Of course I do and so does the rest of your team," he said taking steps back so Jaune can look at his team again.

"It is how he says Jaune," Ren said smiling a little.

"I believe in you Jaune," Nora said getting excited again. "We will feast upon pancakes with every foe we strike down."

"You may have not had much faith in yourself when you got here Jaune, and thought that it was you who depended on us to help you," Pyrrha started with some tears forming in her eyes. "You have grown so much that you haven't even realized how much we depend on you Jaune."

"And I'll go now since this is a team bonding time for you all," Strom said closing the door behind him. "And now I'm stuck out here."

"Okay we're done, you can come back in now Strom," Blake said opening the door. "Ruby and Yang sorted things out and Weiss is still the same."

"Okay, so it's starting to get late and it is dinnertime, so how about we head over to the cafeteria?" Strom asked his team as they turned towards him with a tired face.

"Could you make dinner tonight Strom? I'm feeling really tired to move," Ruby asked as she started to nod off on her sisters side. "Pillow fights are tiring."

"Yeah… I could go for a bowl of noodles," Yang said trying to stay awake as well. "And the tournament starts soon so we should rest up for that."

"We should train less intense than usual as well to ensure no injuries occur," Weiss said looking at the schedule and then at the sisters. "Wow that looks really sweet. I wish that I could have felt the same way they had. I wish I had a more… caring family, how about you Blake?"

"I… grew up with the White Fang, but I consider everyone here my family," she replied with a smile. "You would agree with me, right Strom?"

She looked over to see that Strom had actually joined Ruby and Yang with a nap together. He had his arm reaching over across Yang's back and ended at Ruby's shoulder. Yang nuzzled up and rested her head on his side, and then Ruby found it more comfortable to get closer to Yang as she wrapped her arms around Yang's waist.

"Well, maybe we can let them rest for now," Weiss said trying to control herself. "They look adorable right now."

"What was that?" Blake quietly laughed as she couldn't believe what came out of the heiress's mouth. "Please tell me that my hearing is correct."

"Oh quiet you," Weiss huffed as she brought out a book to read. Blake soon followed afterwards. "I wish the best of luck to you in the tournament."

"You too," Blake replied as she read her book in peace.

"The Vytal Festival Tournament is about to begin, so hurry up," Ruby cheered with excitement as the four who would participate in the round made their way to the ring to meet their opponents.

"Good luck!" Strom shouted from the stands with team JNPR giving everyone a thumb up before sitting back down.

"Welcome back to the Vytal Festival Tournament," Port's voice rang out from the commentator's box. "We here for one of many anticipated matches, Team RWBY of Beacon will be facing Team ABRN of Haven. Now to let you all know that Team RWBY actually has a fifth member, but they will be fighting in a special match later today where we have a select number of academies send their best student to fight who they challenge. So stay tuned for that, but for now the battle between RWBY and ABRN will begin!"

 **And that's where I'll end the chapter for now and just remember the options that I have laid out for you all to share an opinion on with me. There are no wrong opinions and if you have a different suggestion, please don't hesitate to tell me. All I would like is to let people enjoy my writing and stories.**

 **I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter and continue to enjoy future installments of Fighting Fury.**

 **=======|o=|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	19. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, enjoy.**

Chapter 17: Heated Battles and a Broken Promise

As both Team RWBY and ABRN began their battle to secure a position in the doubles round, Strom and Team JNPR were excited to see them in action. They both fought determined for that spot and opportunity to become the Vytal Festival champions. Nora cheered louder than the rest of them, but still kept control over her excitement. Strom saw that the team had each other's back as they fought. He noted that Ruby did a little fist pump after Weiss had gotten someone off of her partner's back. He turned to see Blake eliminate someone by both knocking her aura into the red and out of the ring. He felt a fire inside him grow and starting to anticipate for his fight with someone.

JNPR laughed when they saw the two male members of team ABRN starting to roll away in a giant ice fist created by Weiss. When Strom saw that their final member had crushed the ice fist in a single blow, he began to wonder if they could spar a few times before everyone had to leave. He returned to the battle in front of him to see how his team had worked together to let Yang knock the rest of ABRN out of the arena in one blow. He even noted that Yang didn't use her semblance. He was interrupted by Nora who offered some popcorn, but only the kernels that have not popped.

"Do you think that you can pop the rest of these Strom?" She asked with a bright grin and sparkling eyes. "I want to test it out for… science and stuff."

"Sure, but don't think that I'll do it every time you want popcorn," he replied as he shook his head slowly with a small smile. After a kernels being popped, he returned the bag to Nora. "Freshly popped, enjoy. I'm going to go congratulate everyone on their win."

"Okay we may join you guys later," Jaune said as he was talking to Pyrrha about something.

"We did it," Ruby cheered as she jumped into the air. "We're moving to the doubles round, so that means that we'll have to send two of us up for that."

"We should put it to a vote," Weiss suggested and everyone agreed.

"Should we include Strom in with the vote?" Blake asked before remembering something else. "Oh, and I don't mind if I'm not in the doubles, I'll be fine."

"I don't think we should include me in the vote," Strom said coming up to them with a big smile on his face. "You all were awesome out there, and very good teamwork to show as well."

"Thank you, we worked hard on those moves," Weiss said easily accepting the praise.

"I know, I was there to help," Strom said as he turned towards Yang. "Are you holding onto your semblance to surprise others when needed?"

"Yep, that's the plan," Yang said knowingly. "So, I vote myself and Weiss to go to doubles."

"Wow, I was expecting you to choose Ruby," Weiss responded as they left the arena. "Why me though?"

"I think that your semblance would be able to assist anyone here," she responded turning to walk backwards and face Weiss. "And I still hold the element of surprise to all the teams from other kingdoms, so what better pairing then a surprise and good support?"

"Well, you do make a good point," Weiss admitted and Yang turned around. "I second that vote."

"Well can't deny that reasoning," Blake said after thinking about the other possibilities. "I guess that it's settled then, because I support that vote as well."

"Well, looks like Blake and I will be joining you in the spectator stands," Ruby said trying to be positive. "Maybe next year I can make it to doubles."

"And maybe you can get there with me, but who knows, "Strom said trying to encourage Ruby. "Maybe you will make it to singles next year."

"That would be so cool," Yang said catching onto Strom's plan. "I know that we would cheer you on."

"Alright so, can we go to the fairgrounds to see what is there to do or eat?" Ruby asked hoping for some good to happen right now.

"I think that is an awesome idea," Yang said wanting to look around herself. "Anyone else want to come along?"

"Well, it's not like I have much else to do," Weiss said secretly trying to smile at the idea of a fun carnival.

"This isn't something we get to do every day," Strom said then looking towards Blake for her answer.

"Sure, why not?" She answered calmly. "It will probably be fun."

"Yay," Ruby squealed thinking about the fairgrounds when a tap was met on her shoulder. "Huh, oh, hello Team ABRN. You guys put up an amazing fight."

"Well you guys put up a better one," the leader said shaking hands with Ruby. "You guys didn't have all of you members there so I don't even know what he is capable of."

"I will be able to show some of what I have to offer later," Strom said smiling at the team. "Although I have no idea who or when I'm fighting."

"Well, I'm Arslan and I have seen some bizarre things to wear but a towel is a first," she said after glancing at Strom's choice of clothing. Only to be met with him getting close to her face.

"It's a sarong," he said then backing off. "I'm very protective of this article of clothing, but not as much as Yang is with her hair."

"I don't know whether to be insulted to that or take it with pride," Yang said looking at Strom with a slight glare. "Anyways, we're going out to the fairgrounds, want to come join us?"

"Maybe some other time since we have some well needed training to do until next year if we want to beat you next year if given the chance," Arslan declared standing proudly and even more determined than ever. "Let's get started now."

"Good luck," Strom called out as the team left. "Let's get to the fairgrounds before JNPR has their match."

RWBY and Strom finally made it to the fairgrounds to see children running from booth to booth, checking out what they had to offer, couples and families spending time together, friends laughing and messing around and Huntsman and Huntresses that had some time off had a chance to relax and enjoy life before heading back to work.

"It just makes me happy thinking about all the planning and budgeting that went into this event," Weiss said looking at everything in detail.

"I'm just happy to see everyone coming together as one to enjoy peace," Blake said and Strom couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Especially Humans and Faunus."

"Well, I'm very hungry," Ruby said finally caving into her stomachs desire for food. "Anyone else?"

"I guess a little food wouldn't hurt," Blake replied before hearing her stomach growl loud like a lion.

"Come on I know a place," Yang said as everyone followed her to a noodle stand.

"Kind of hard to pay when Emerald is playing a small prank," Strom called out since he saw Emerald take Ruby's wallet. "So how are you doing today?"

"Yeah, you caught me," Emerald said hiding her shock and anger very well, already planned to hand Ruby back her wallet. "I would have followed you guys anyway to make sure that it didn't go too far. And congratulations on moving on to the doubles round. Who are you all sending?"

"Well as team leader, I thought that it would be good to-" Ruby started to sound high and mighty before Weiss cut her off since she was beginning to feel hungry as well.

"We put it to a vote and Yang and I will be going to the doubles," she said then got curious about Emeralds team. "How did your team do?"

"Well, I would say that we did alright and will be moving to doubles as well," Emerald said not giving too much information out freely.

"Hey we're about to get a bite to eat, maybe your team would like to join us?" Ruby asked making Emeralds fears a reality as she returned the wallet to Ruby.

"Ahh, that would be lovely, but my team is full of 'very' socially awkward people," Emerald said and turned to look at Mercury who at the perfect moment sniffed into a boot and looked disgusted by its smell. "Very awkward." Emerald said not believing her luck on that scene.

"Well maybe next time," Ruby said as everyone turned to walk over to the noodle stand.

"Is it me, or Do you always know a place for anything, Yang?" Strom asked looking at Yang curiously.

"Well I asked a lot of people a lot of different questions," Yang said as she added a little more movement towards her hips, making them sway left and right more. Everyone sat down at the noodle stand. "I'll have the usual." A giant bowl filled with noodles was placed in front of her.

"OOOooohhhh, I'll have the same thing," Ruby said then another giant bowl was placed.

"Do you have anything with less salt-" Weiss started to ask, but was interrupted by another giant bowl and the shopkeeper moved to Blake. "Hey."

Blake didn't say anything but just nodded. The shopkeeper somehow understood this and brought a bowl of noodles with fully cooked fish. Blake's eyes sparkled with excitement and drool started to come out of her mouth. Weiss pulled out her card and handed it to the shopkeeper, who took it after placing a bowl in front of Strom then threw it back at the heiress showing that the card was declined. Blake tried to sneak the bowl away with greed, but was stopped by the shopkeeper.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," Pyrrha said pulling out her card for the shopkeeper.

"You don't have to," Weiss said thankful about the gesture.

"But she could," Blake quickly interjected since the only thing on her mind was fish.

"Oh, we weren't supposed to start eating yet?" Strom foolishly asked looking at his half empty bowl then looking at everyone sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry."

Pyrrha had paid for everyone's meal and received thanks for it. As everyone was in the middle of eating their first bowl, Strom was on his second bowl. Then he heard the P.A. system announce something about juniper or something.

"Hey, did they say something about JNPR?" he asked while everyone was more focused on the food. "Blake you heard that, right?"

"FIISH!" Blake responded with the only thing on her mind as she continued to enjoy the meal.

"Where do you fit all of that food?" Weiss asked since Strom was eating a second bowl quietly but swiftly. "One of these bowls could feed a family, how can you eat two?"

"Ok let's see. My semblance will help burn up energy and calories figuratively and literally, I have a high metabolism and this is a good bowl of noodles," he said giving the shopkeeper his thanks again. "Pyrrha I hope that we can repay you for this afterwards."

"Oh it's not an issue really," Pyrrha said knowing that she had plenty of funds from her advertisements with Pumpkin Pete's cereal. "Consider this as congratulations for your hard work."

The teens continued to enjoy the food until they were full. Then JNPR heard their call for the arena by an agitated Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port after Nora thought about a very terrible situation and went gray. Both of the teams left to go be there for the match.

It was time for JNPR to go against team BRNZ for the teams match. RWBY and Strom were in their seats, ready to cheer on their friends. Everyone tensed up, ready to view the match as the countdown was done by Professor Port. The teams clashed for the chance to move to the doubles round and Jaune felt panicked for a moment but quickly got a hold of himself and fought back. As thing heated up in the arena Strom felt a disturbance inside of him, he wanted to push it aside, but it just kept hurting in his chest.

"Hey, I'm going to go to the restroom," he said to his team who looked saddened that he would miss JNPR's fight. He walked past the restrooms and out into an open space so that he could try and get his mind off of it. Unfortunately the pain only grew more intense, like someone had stabbed him with a knife.

' _So uh, might be a bad time to say this but you should probably get that looked at,'_ Caden had voiced in his head. _'And I may have to tell you a few things about that gem that you absorbed that night. Come and join me as soon as possible.'_

' _Caden?'_ He thought trying to think through the pain. _'Could you help me on how I can relieve this pain inside of me?'_

' _I can, but it would require me to do something that I promised not to do,"_ Caden voiced in response. _'Try to meditate and we can talk things through."_

"Yeah right," Strom said to himself since he knew that it wouldn't be easy to do. He found a bench in a relatively quiet area and began to meditate. When he opened his eyes the pain was gone and found himself back with the others in a medical room. They looked at him with concern.

"Strom what happened?" Ruby asked with worry in her eyes. "You were passed out on a bench when we found you."

"I was. How long have I been out?" Strom asked in fear of missing his fight.

"Relax and breathe Strom," Yang said calmly. "You we're out for two hours, you missed the rest of JNPR's match and the entirety of SSSN's match. Doubles are tomorrow and the single bracket tournament is the next day. You haven't missed much, but please try to calm down."

"Okay, I will," he said taking slow breaths and calming down. "I'm sorry to have worried all of you."

"As long as you're fine, we can forgive you," Weiss said before returning to the question. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I was having pain in my chest and wanted it to stop, so I started to walk to a quiet place. Caden contacted me and said that he could help," he explained to everyone. "As soon as I started to meditate I close my eyes and when I opened them I was here."

"Ok so you should probably ask Caden just exactly what happened since he is a part of you," Blake suggested. "You should also take it easy and sleep more for a little bit. That is what the doctor ordered, so no early rises, just sleep."

"Okay, but I will ask Caden myself about what happened," Strom said starting to get out of the bed, only to have Yang to push him down onto the bed. "I should be fine enough to walk around, Yang."

"Rest for a while more, then we'll leave," Yang said sitting in a chair. "You all can go, I'll stay with him to keep him in check."

"Okay Yang," Ruby said as everyone left the room. She popped her head in one more time to add something. "Oh, I forgot to mention, but Uncle Qrow is here."

"Oh there's some good news Strom," Yang said with a slightly forced smile which quickly faded as soon as she saw Ruby leave and turned to look at Strom. "Strom, I think that e should go pay him a visit and learn what really happened to you."

"I am way ahead of you," he said entering a meditative stance. "Ready to go?"

"I hope what we learn isn't going to majorly affect you or us," she said with worry and sadness clearly on her face. "Yes, I'm ready."

Yang placed a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Once they both opened their eyes they were met with only Caden, Azure and Trent were nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry but this will be a talk between the three of us," Caden said as he paced back and forth. "Strom, I have some explaining to do. It seems the Gem has taken quite a liking to you. And it wants full control over you. In order to stop it I had to intervene and take control to stop it.

"But you said that you would never try and control him," Yang said angered by the betrayal. "Here you are breaking your promise."

"I know that I did, but I let him have it once I had tamed the gem… for now," Caden said looking down. "The gem may try again to take over. That is why you have a choice to make. You can destroy the gem, let it take over you, or control it. I think that the only choice here is to control it, I have controlled it but I was already succumbed to the gem when I came to be."

"What if he destroys it?" Yang asked cautiously, not wanting to have Strom try and control it or have the gem controlling him. "He'll be fine, correct?"

"We'll both die," Caden said gravely. "So it will stop the cycle, but we'll both die."

"Okay so I think we can all agree that the only option is to learn how to control it," Strom said not liking the other choices. "So how can I control it without completely giving into it?"

"That is something that I have to try and remember how to do," Caden said as he thought about it. "The first thing you should do is to get out of that fight so you can focus more on resisting the gems overwhelming power. Then we can begin the real training for controlling and balancing the power with your own."

"Can we know why the gem is causing this to happen now?" Yang asked since she was very concerned for their well being. "It's been almost a week since we visited Aria and now it starts up. Why is it happening?"

"I don't know for certain, but it can sense fear or negativity like Grimm," Caden said pondering on what the gem is up to. "It will cause serious pain to force the host give up on control, so it can take over and consume that fear and negativity. It happened to me at Aria, but now I am free from it."

"Okay, so when will we start training?" Strom asked wanting to get started right away. "How long do you think it will take to fully have it under control?"

"To be honest, I don't know how long, but I do know is that we should be careful for the next few days," Caden said thinking about the reaction. "Hopefully it isn't anything major."

"I hope so as well," Caden said remembering his experience with the gem. "The gem may just be trying to take control."

"RRGH, this isn't fair," Yang shouted in frustration as her eyes turned red with anger. "He went through all that trouble of beating you and now he has to stop for being controlled by a fucking rock! What the hell?"

"Yang, everything will be alright," Strom said trying to calm her down. "We'll get through this as well as anything else in front of us. So, can I see your lovely lilac eyes again? "

"Well, only because you said that they're lovely," she said letting her eyes return to their natural state. "But don't think that I'm happy about this at all. Alright Caden, what do we need to do first to help this go smoothly."

"I will need some time to think and remember how I gained control," he said as he looked at the couple. "Until then, Strom, if you should feel any pain from the gem, try and focus on that and allow it to spread out over your entirety of the body except your brain."

"Ok and if I fail at any point what can we do to stop it?" Strom decided to be safe and ask.

"Well should anything happen, either get yourself knocked out or I'll step in," Caden responded before turning around. "Now I'm not a doctor, but I think that you should get up now and walk around."

The next thing that the couple knew is that they were back in the medical room at Beacon. They thought about what happened with their meeting with Caden.

"I don't think that I should fight this year. Just to be safe," Strom said as he got up from the bed and stumbled a little. Yang quickly caught him.

"Please be careful Strom," she said gently allowing him to put his arm around her for support. "We already had one accident with you, so we don't need anymore."

"Thank you, so how about we head back to the dorms and when I feel a little better we'll go see Ozpin and get a new opinion?" he said with a smile bright and happy enough to make Yang smile a little.

"I think that it's a nice little plan you have," she said as they both left the room to head back to the dorms. "I was hoping that I could get to see you fight, but we can't have that gem become a problem. However there will be next time when we can just sit down and enjoy your battles."

"True, and I can just relax and enjoy your next fight and I hope that the team can get to the singles tourney," he said with a bright smile. "I know that I will be cheering for you all the way if we make it."

"Don't worry, we'll make it, we should have some confidence with ourselves," she said meeting to where his eyes would be seen. She takes a hand and moves the band so she can see his eyes. "You do look better without the band."

"Well I do need to remember that I should take it off when I am inside or when it is nighttime," he said blushing at the action and compliment, but he remembered her red eyes when they talked with Caden. "I do want to let you know that your red eyes are beautiful as well, I just wish that you didn't have to be angry for everyone to see how lovely they can be."

"Oh stop it Strom," She blushed feverishly and smiling before she thought of how it reminded of her mother and how she still continues to find anything about her. "My eyes are the one thing that I have to remind me of my mom. I just wish that I can learn why she left us when I was born."

"I don't know how or why a mother could just leave her child without a good reason," he said looking a little upset. "It really makes no sense on how someone could just leave without any notice or information of why they did. I am glad that your dad was able to take care of you and I guess that I have to thank both of your moms as well, although your biological mom I may need to get to know alongside you."

"That is something we can do when we get some free time or able to meet her again," Yang mistakenly said without realizing it.

"Again? Have you met her recently?" he asked catching on to what she said. She silently cursed to herself, seeing as she slipped out a little too much information.

"Well at night after the breach I met up with someone with the same eye color as I do when I get very upset, she didn't say much but just that we needed to talk," she said as she remembered it. "She also said something about not approving, but I couldn't hear exactly what she said. Do you think that she doesn't approve of us being together?"

"I can't say for certain, but I do know is that even if your mom doesn't approve of us being together, your dad does approve, Ruby approves and Qrow… I may need a confirmed yes, but I think that he approves as well. Just because that she may be your mom doesn't mean that she has enough knowledge of how we are together," Strom said as they stopped walking for the moment. They turned towards each other and their eyes locked with the other. "She may have the answers you may be looking for, but she doesn't know how her leaving has affected you and Tai. I'm never going to say that we shouldn't listen to her, but she should try and get to know us first."

"Yeah, I can see how you think and feel," she said as they started to walk together again. They entwined their fingers and walked shoulder to shoulder. "I wonder how Ruby would think about my mom."

"I have no idea on how that might go," he said thinking about an image of Ruby wrapping herself around an image of what he thought Yang's mom looked like. "She probably will get overexcited about meeting her."

"Yeah I just hope that it would be on better terms," she said as the stopped in front of their dorm room. "Well, dorm sweet dorm."

"You're back and walking," Ruby announced to everyone as she saw both Yang and Strom walk inside. "How are you feeling Strom?"

"Well not exactly happy seeing that I will need to step out from my fight due to what happened, but other than that I just feel fine," he said with a small grin. "I feel really bad about missing our friends' fights."

"Well you can rest easy because they were more worried about your health than you being there to watch and cheer them on," Weiss said with a small smile, glad that he was up and moving. "So what happened exactly? Because the doctor said that you passed out due to dehydration and we all know that you drink water on an hourly basis, so did you go and meet Caden and the others?"

"Yes we met Caden only and he said that it was the gem that was absorbed into me," he said as he sat down on the desk chair. "Basically I have to learn how to hold the gem in balance with myself. The gem is the dark and I am the light and together we will be more powerful than ever, as long as I can learn to control the gem."

"So, you have to go on a spiritual journey?" Blake asked a little bit worried about losing a team member. "Do you have to leave?"

"No, I should be able to do it here, although I will probably have to be in silence and secluded for a while, but hopefully it shouldn't take too long," he said not knowing how long the process will take. "But I should step away from fighting unless absolutely necessary for me to step in."

"Well after the Vytal Festival everyone will be returning back to their kingdoms and we'll resume classes in an emptier Beacon," Ruby said feeling sad about the thought of saying goodbye to their friends. "But we will be able to see them again next year when a different kingdom hosts the festival."

"Okay so what is the first step?" Weiss asked hoping that Strom's new quest for control would be swiftly done. She didn't get them very high since she had no experience with meditation.

"Well the first step is to cancel the fight between me and the student from Signal," Strom said looking at his team with warm, red eyes. "So in a few minutes I'll go to Ozpin's office to discuss this with him."

"Do you want any of us to go with you?" Ruby asked as she was still concerned with Strom's health.

"Yes, I have already asked Yang to come with me," Strom said with a content smile. "I like this, having a group of friends, who I consider family, being there for each other and ready to go through anything."

"Are you scared that something might happen Strom?" Blake asked concerned on why he was bringing up the fact of how he views everyone in the team as family. "What can this gem really do?"

"I guess it's better to get it out of the way now than trying to hide it," he said looking down. "Should I fail at keeping the gem in check, it will try to take over and control a new host. I would end up like Caden, but he regained control too late and became very corrupted until I stepped in and well, you all know what happened afterwards."

"True, but that doesn't mean that the same can't happen to you," Weiss said looking sternly at Strom. "And when something does happen what are you going to do?"

"Ask you all to hold nothing back and knock me out," he said as he looked at everyone with a serious expression. "Please honor that for me, that way I can be able to continue to learn how to control the gem's power. I won't be able to forgive myself should I hurt any of you because of the gem. I just couldn't."

"Well as the leader of team RWBY, I believe that we will all honor that request, but I may not like the fact of hitting you," Ruby said putting her hand in first in hopes that she could pull this off. "I am in this to the end for Strom, who else is with me?"

"Well, I think that the answer is very simple," Weiss said putting her hand in on top of Ruby's. "I'm in."

"I am in as well," Blake said placing her hand on top of the others then looked at Yang. "I think we all know your answer."

"Of course she would be helping, they're in a relationship," Weiss said motioning with her free hand between the two.

"Awe, you guys know me so well," Yang said with a beaming grin, before joining everyone else and placed her hand on top of her partner's. "I'm embarrassed by the attention. It just might be too much to hand-le."

Strom chuckled quietly as he walked over to his team, which groaned at Yang for the bad pun, and placed is hand on top. "Thank you all for this."

"Okay, on three," Ruby said, happy at what she pulled off. She counted down with everyone. "Three, two, one! TEAM RWBY!"

Later in the evening Ozpin was resting from all the bickering and arguments that happened in his office. He took a long sip from his mug and collected his thoughts as he stared out into the night sky. He heard the elevator door open and turned around to face his visitors.

"Hello Strom and Yang," he said sitting down in his chair and gestured towards the chairs in front of him. "If you would like to take a seat that is fine with me. Now, what can I help the two of you with this evening?"

"Well, it's regarding my match with the student from Signal," Strom said to begin the topic of what he was about to introduce to the headmaster. "I will not be able to participate with the student due to a recent discovery I have made about what had happened on Aria."

"Is that so?" Ozpin mused thinking about possible reasons that his student might have for dropping out. "I'm going to presume that you will tell me why, correct?"

"Absolutely, headmaster," Strom said with respect as he explained to his headmaster what exactly happened on Aria and how the gem was now fighting for control over his body. As the story was told to the headmaster, his facial expressions changed from stoic to curiosity and finally concern for his student. "That's everything that had happened over the week. And that is why I would need to cancel my match. I'm not happy about it, but I know that it is necessary for what I need to do."

"Hmm, I see. It is a shame that we would have to cancel your match, but if what you say is true then we must take precautions," Ozpin said after readjusting his glasses. "Thank you for bringing this information to me. We will call off your match as well. Now I suggest that you get some rest, you may have a tough time ahead of you."

"We will and thank you again headmaster," Strom said bowing his head slightly before standing with Yang. "I hope that I will be able to participate next year."

"I hope so as well and hopefully you will perform as well, if not better, than you would have done," Ozpin said before turning away in his chair. "Good night to the both of you. Especially you Yang, you have a doubles match tomorrow to do with Weiss. So please be well rested and show everyone what Beacon has to offer."

"You got it Professor," Yang said giving a thumb up. "Take it easy."

They left to go back to their dorm. While they were walking they had small discussions about what was happening and the matches. Once they returned to their dorm room they found everyone else in a small discussion.

"What's going on here, a plot to defeat JNPR?" Yang jokingly asked as she huddled around everyone as well. "But seriously, what are you guys talking about?"

"Well, we have all talked about it beforehand about Strom's sleeping condition and we have decided to try out Strom sleeping with you Yang," Weiss said getting a little flustered at the thought of what she just said. "This will only last until a bed can come in for him, so don't get any ideas."

"Well I am okay with it, how about you though? Strom, are you okay with this?" Yang asked to make sure that everyone was okay with the idea. "It's up to you about what happens. No pressure though."

"Well if everyone is alright with it, I don't see any harm about trying," Strom said not realizing that he sealed his own fate.

"Perfect, but just to warn you I do tend to squirm around in my sleep," Yang said with a wink to add. "So it's settled then. Strom gets to sleep with me."

"If I hear any rocking he'll be out of the bed faster than Ruby can eat cookies," Weiss said coldly with her eyes closed. "However, if I know the two of you as well as I think I do then everything should be fine."

"Well with that being said I'm going to get plenty of rest so I can cheer you two on tomorrow," Ruby said before hopping into her bed and pulled the sheets around her bed closed. "Good night everyone."

"Good night Ruby," everyone else replied before getting into bed as well.

"Alright I have a water bottle ready for me to drink in the morning," said Strom after getting his water bottle ready for the morning. Then he hopped up with Yang in bed. "Good night my Princess of the Sun."

"Goodnight my Sunfish," she replied before the both of them fell asleep with their backs touching each other.

Strom was sleeping soundly when he was woken up by Yang as she hugged into his back, pressing her mounds into him.

"Yang, you're kind of pressing into me a little," he whispered before trying to break free from her grasp to ensure that he doesn't get kicked out of the bed. Her grip only got tighter with her next words.

"Mom, please don't leave me," she murmured sadly as she desperately tried to not let go. He heard clearly what she said and turned to face her and hug her back.

"Yang, I will not leave you as easily," he whispered into her ear, making her smile with the embrace as she nuzzled her cheek onto his chest. "I'll make the bad dreams go away for you Yang."

With those words he fell back asleep with Yang quietly sleeping in peace now. Blake closed her book with a smile and got some rest as well, happy that her partner was able to sleep in peace.

 **I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and future chapters of Fighting Fury. Now I think that you all should get a little preview of who might be showing up soon. Here's a new character that will be joining the story soon.**

' _He should have trained me'_ I thought to myself as I kept walking in the dreaded forest. _'I should have been trained with him, not to be exiled by him.'_ I passed by a tree and as I placed my hand on it frost and ice formed and stayed when I kept on moving.

' _Then that fire maker had to just sell me out to the Elder, well luckily for me that I found a new group to be taught under,'_ I passed another tree on the mountain to reach for the summit. _'I thought that I would become more powerful than you, but then I learned that you took the gem from the shadow for yourself.'_ I cursed silently as I got closer for the view.

' _Luckily, the group that taught me would allow me a chance for revenge. Even if you master the gem's power, you won't be reaching me anytime soon in strength,'_ I smiled to myself as I reached the summit to find Mountain Glenn below me, but what I was more interested in was the city lights that were a day's journey away. _'I will have my revenge on you and Elder Trent, Strom Teitsia. I will have my revenge for trying to keep me in the dark, but first answer me this.'_ I laughed as a Beowolf tried to pounce on me, but was swiftly cut in half due to my greatsword.

"Answer me this Strom," I called out over the corpse as I returned my weapon to its sheath. "What will you do when Hell freezes over?"

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	20. Chapter 18

**I hope that the introduction of another character was slightly interesting. I also would like to say happy holidays to everyone and I WILL have a Christmas special Omake. Enjoy~**

Chapter 18: The Beginning of Balance

Yang woke up to discover that she was being held by Strom and saw both Weiss and Ruby looking at her with a stern glare. Blue and silver eyes bore into the both of them with an intensity that could challenge Prof. Goodwitch's gaze. Both Ruby and Weiss were about to open their mouths to give her hell about what had happened when her savior came from under her.

"Ruby, Weiss, they have done nothing wrong," Blake said as she put down her book. Yang was having a nightmare and Strom embraced her and supported her through the night."

"I had a nightmare?" Yang asked not remembering the dream. "I never paid enough attention when psychology came around."

"What's going on here?" Strom asked trying to wake up. "Where is the fire? Who is trying to cook fish for breakfast? I'm not guilty, I swear."

"Strom, here drink this," Weiss said showing Strom the water bottle. "It will help you."

"What flavor is it and did I die?" he said looking around the room. "Everything is white and I'm around beautiful girls but that one is adorable." He said as he pointed to Ruby. "But I don't want to be dead, I have a lovely girlfriend named Yang Xiao Long and she had the most beautiful eyes that I have ever seen. Back to the bottle, what flavor is it?"

"It's just water," Weiss said blushing after being called beautiful. "Now, hurry up and drink please."

"No, I don't like water, is it grape flavored?" He continued to go on in his state and looked around again now noticing that his arms were around Yang. "Umm who are you and why do you look exactly like Yang?"

"Because I am Yang and you didn't die silly," Yang said smiling brightly at her boyfriend. "Now, this actually a liquid that tastes like your favorite thing in the world." She smiled as she held the bottle in front of him and watched his eyes sparkling, like Ruby does with cookies.

"Really? You all are so nice to me," he said as he started to drink and become normal again. "What happened? And please do not sugar coat it, that way I can fix everything or apologize about my actions."

"You were on an adorable level and very nice, and I'm being honest," Weiss said calming down from what happened. "Now, we have a big day ahead of us so let's be a peak performance Yang."

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to fight again," Yang said getting off the bed and Strom soon followed. "So, do you think that you can be there for our match Strom?"

"I should be able to make time for your match," he said as he drank a new water bottle down. "Ahh, much better. Hopefully I should make some progress with my training as well."

"Yeah so you should probably start soon, and I'm just suggesting that," Yang said with a slightly worried look. "But I think that it would be better to start as soon as you can. That way you can enjoy life without worries."

"This is seriously looking like my book guys," Blake said holding up the story about a man with two souls. "Perhaps reading this might be able to help you with your training."

"I'm not certain but it can never hurt to try," he said taking the book that Blake held out for him. "Thank you and I think that I will start right now, or as soon as I find a quiet place."

"Well I think that Ren should know some good areas to be able to train," Ruby said as she thought of area that would be quiet. "I can't think of anything that might help."

"Well, I have a few spots in mind," Strom said thinking about the spot that he showed Cinder her sister. He then entered the bathroom and poked his head out the door to let everyone know his plan. "I think that I'll head out after getting cleaned up. I'll see you all before your match."

"Alright Weiss, want to grab breakfast quickly and get some sparring in before our match?" Yang asked her partner that she would be with her for the match today.

"I think that is a great idea," Weiss said as she thought about sparring with Yang. "We can spar against Ruby and Blake to help our coordination and communication."

"Ooo, that sounds like a great idea," Ruby said excited. "We'll have to try hard to push you and yet not hard enough for injury. I like the challenge. I accept, Blake, how about you?"

"Well, it is better than trying to find some random people to spar against," she said closing her book and looking at the time. "Do we know when the match is?"

"Not as of yet," Weiss answered then hearing the shower come to a stop. "Well, the shower is all yours when Strom exits, Yang."

"Yes, plenty of hot water for me to use freely without worry," Yang cheered as Strom exited the bathroom with clothes on from the waist down, with a towel covering his hair. "Ooh, and a lovely sight to see before I go in, thank you Strom."

"ACK," Strom shouted because Yang had given his butt a squeeze. "Yang, please don't do that again."

"Hmm, maybe," she responded as she entered the bathroom and closed the door. "Good luck Strom."

"Thank you," he said trying to hide his embarrassment behind the towel. "So I'm just going to put on a shirt and head out, sound good? Yes? Okay bye." He said and quickly left the dorm to begin his training.

"Well I feel a tad sorry for him," Weiss said before looking towards the bathroom door. "Yang I know you heard me!"

"It's all fun and games, I'll talk to him about it later and apologize if his feelings were hurt," Yang shouted loud enough for the rest of her team to hear. "You don't think that he had any bad experiences, right?"

"Well he didn't seem to be too bothered by it and he didn't have any serious reactions to the act," Blake said as she thought about his reaction in detail. "He's probably just embarrassed but just check on him later and watch what you do."

"You got it Blakey," Yang sung as she continued with her shower. _'I hope that he will be fine.'_

Strom made it to the garden area where he had showed Cinder that she could meet her sister again. He began to meditate to talk to Caden and begin his training. People walked around the area and noticed him but didn't want to bother him in any way. Emerald and Mercury were looking around the area trying to look normal when they found him and sent Cinder a message on their scrolls.

*Emerald: Hey we found him meditating here while walking around. Want us to ask him a few questions?*

*Cinder: No, I will come there to ask him myself, but keep an eye on him until I arrive.*

*Mercury: Why do you even like him that much anyways? What makes him so special?*

*Cinder: I'll pretend that you didn't just question my judgment. But if you must know, I'll show you what makes him special.*

*Emerald: We'll be waiting and keeping an eye on him for you ma'am.*

*Cinder: Good, I'll be there soon.*

"I still don't why she would take a heavy interest in him so suddenly after she claimed that she would be the one to kill him," Mercury said as he tried to think of a number of reasons why Cinder would take a sudden interest. "What do you think about it?"

"I think that we shouldn't concern ourselves with the matter," Emerald said looking at Strom. "He is just like them, happy-go-lucky without any worries or struggles."

"I don't know about that, he is blind," Mercury said noticing something off about Strom. "Hey, do you see that?"

"See what? Another person who hasn't had to worry about any-thing," Emerald said slowly cutting off her speech after noticing Strom's surroundings. "He's surrounded by heat waves."

"Maybe it's his semblance?" Mercury guessed then smelling the air. "Fish? Why can I smell cooked fish?"

"Oh, he's really warming up, should we help out or… watch and observe?" Emerald questioning herself on what to do as the heat became more intense. "Do you think that he's going to combust into flames?"

"No, but it would be a neat party trick," Mercury said looking at the ground. "You think that we should cool him off?"

"I don't think that he would appreciate that," Emerald said before grabbing a bucket. "Then again, since when did I care?"

"Where did you even- never mind I actually don't want to know," Mercury said looking back at Strom. "So do you think that she would be mad about pouring water on him?"

"If who would be mad about pouring water on Strom?" Cinder asked clearly angered about the idea of messing with someone she took an interest in. "I sincerely hope that you were not intending on pouring that water over him. If that were to happen then I might just have to go looking for some new teammates."

"Gah, need water," Strom said taking a break from his training and meditating and turned around to find a bucket of water with the three who seemed to be talking amongst each other, although Cinder looked upset about something. He walked up to them with the burning question in mind. "Are you going to need that bucket of water soon? If not, may I have it?"

"Uhh, sure, can I ask what you're going to need it for?" Emerald said as she handed him the bucket which he turned over his head and let the water out over his head and body, all while taking a big gulp of water as well. "Were you thirsty?"

"Yes, thank you very much and I apologize for the inconvenience," he said as he returned the empty bucket to Emerald. "So are you all excited for the doubles matches?"

"Well, you can say that we're anticipating an interesting match," Cinder said knowing how she rigged some of the teams' matches. "I was actually thinking about your match that is coming up Strom. I just know that it will be entertaining."

"Well, unfortunately I won't be participating at all due to some issues that came up recently," Strom said as he dried himself off with his semblance. "So I'm afraid that I will be quite the pacifist this time around."

"Well can we ask what happened for the sudden change?" Emerald asked hoping to get some information or a weakness out of him. "I'm sure that you had to have been upset about learning that you won't be able to fight this year."

"Well, I was a little upset about that, but I found out something bigger was happening so I let it go," Strom responded looking for a shady spot to continue his new training. "Well I think that I took enough time out of your busy schedules. I wish you luck on your match."

"I have some more spare time Strom," Cinder said with a smile. "So maybe we could visit her again today?"

"Well I guess that taking a break won't come to harm, I suppose," he said as he got comfortable in a new shaded spot on the ground. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Good, the two of you should get ready for your match now," Cinder said without looking at her associates. "Run along now."

"Yes ma'am," "Sure," both Emerald and Mercury said at the same time leaving to go someplace else.

"I can't lie, but I am excited to see Azure again Strom," Cinder said calm and collectedly sitting herself in front of Strom, placing her head on his lap. "This should be fine, right?"

"Uhh, do you think that maybe you can try something else?" He asked her, completely worried that everyone would take the wrong idea about them being a couple when Yang is his girlfriend. "I think that people would get the wrong idea and neither my girlfriend nor your boyfriend would appreciate this kind of sight."

"I don't have a boyfriend, so I have no issues with this," she said a little bit annoyed on how he could be so hesitant about something simple before remembering why he was saying it. She remembered all the people who would say that he was a very lucky man for getting Yang of all people as his girlfriend. "Ah, I remember now that you do have Yang. I'll just move then and hold onto your shoulder."

"Thank you, Cinder," he said, relaxing that she moved away and is now less intimate looking. "Well, let's go say hello to Azure."

They both closed their eyes and were ready to enter the zone. When they arrived Cinder noticed a huge difference in the existing plane. The normally white plane was now splattered with shifting black holes in the plane. Everyone seemed to be a little bit worried about the black holes that shifted in size and shape. Strom frowned at the sight of the area.

"This place used to be lovely," Strom said sounding very sad. "I hope that I can fix this when I'm done."

"What is going on here Strom?" Cinder asked curious and a little frightened about what was happening right now.

"I have come across a new source of power, but it came with a dark entity," Strom said as he looked around. "I need to learn how to keep it in balance within or else I will cease to be. Either it be by destruction of the gem or by losing to the darkness within me."

"Yeah and have been given a treat of black spots," Azure said clearly unhappy about the spots "This is impurity and just ugly to look at."

"I wished that I could have stopped this Strom," Elder Trent said looking at his student with deep regret. "I wish that you would have had a better life than this, because this is not the life a normal person should have, but it seems that Fate and Destiny have decided otherwise."

"Well what is done is done and cannot be changed in any way," Caden spoke up looking at Strom angrily. He gestured towards all the black moving holes. "You should be more concerned about getting this under control, not being a taxi for anyone's pleasure."

"Hey that was not called for," Azure said trying to defend her friend. "He is just trying to help Cinder out."

"How, by not letting your death haunt him or her for the rest of their lives?" Caden said very upset, his hands shaking with fury as they clenched tightly. "That doesn't sound very healthy to me. They need to accept the fact that they can't keep coming here every day and escape reality. As we argue and yell over each other, the gem is growing off of this negativity and is consuming Strom right now! Just look around and see the results!"

Everyone looked around and saw that the black holes were growing larger and some were connecting with other holes. The feeling of dread grew within them watching the expansion of the black voids around them and the white area grew smaller.

"Strom, you need to get back to work on this immediately," Caden said in a concerned voice. "This is only going to get harder and harder the more you let it get a chance. You have to show the gem who is in control, but don't try to control it. Instead, let it come to balance within and throughout your entire being: your soul, your body and everything you think of. Don't return here unless you need to talk to me. You will be able to return when you have more control over it. Until then, go train and get stronger."

"Then let's make this count," Strom said, sad that he would not be seeing them for a long time. "Cinder, I'm sorry, but Caden's right. So this will be a goodbye for now to them, so make your words count."

"Cinder, I'm going to miss you," Azure said sadly, knowing that this was for the best for everyone. "Please stay safe and I made sure that Strom promised that he wouldn't let any harm come to you, so he will be able to help out. I hope that your team wins in the tournament and Strom don't forget to sharpen my weapon, it's a little dull. Well, this is goodbye, for now. I love you Cinder."

"I love you too Azure," Cinder said as the two hugged each other and Azure began to cry. The sobbing and sounds of tears echoed throughout the area. "I will see you again someday."

Cinder and Strom opened their eyes to see that nothing has changed about the scenery and the people were still laughing and having a good time. Wordlessly, Cinder stood up and walked away with a single tear falling from her left eye. She kept on going as she read a message from Emerald saying about their match that was about to happen. A frown formed on her face for she was not in the mood to act happy or how she had been around others. She had to continue planning the fall of Vale and a plan to end Ozpin. At the thought of death her mind quickly shifted over to Azure and how she would remain gone, or would she. She knew that the one she served was powerful; perhaps she could do something about it.

' _It's a very unlikely chance that she can, let alone actually do that for me,'_ she thought to herself as she continued to walk to the arena. A small smile formed on her face at the thought of holding her sister again. _'I'll never know unless I ask. I'll send a message to them if it is possible, after the match.'_

Strom had seen Cinder walk away knowing that she was hurt. He wanted to go and comfort her, but as he reached out to her he noticed that his hand had black lines running down his arm and he checked under his shirt to find that it all runs back into his chest, where the gem had entered inside of him. He panicked and looked around to see if anyone had noticed him with the lines. After confirming that no one had seen him, he quickly began to meditate and bring the darkness within him to balance. After a while, the lines began to retreat back from where they originated. He calmed down entirely once he saw that he made progress in balancing himself and continued to work as instructed. He felt the darkness that flooded his entire body but let it balance out with the light. When he finished with what he had to do for today, he saw that he received a message from Ruby saying that Yang and Weiss's match was about to begin. He rushed out to make it in time and he felt different.

Strom made it just in time for Yang's match alongside Weiss to begin. He sat down next to Ruby and was ready to cheer on Yang. He saw their opponents come onto the field, a man with a trumpet for a weapon and a cat faunus that was very colorful. They were from team FNKY and before the match began, Neon was insulting Yang and Flynt was planning to prove that Weiss had a superiority complex.

"Oh no," Ruby said once she saw that Yang was clearly upset and was beginning to lose focus on the match.

"This might not end well, or maybe it will, who knows," Strom said with a smile towards Ruby, but as soon as they looked away from each other he had a worried look on his face.

Their match began with a loud screech from the trumpet and Neon tackling Yang away from Weiss. As the battle between the two teams heated up, Neon decided to keep up her verbal jabs towards Yang, one of which angered Strom when he heard that Neon suggested that Yang should go on a diet. His semblance started to crank the temperature up and melted some of the stone where his hand was placed.

"Strom please calm down," Ruby said in fear that he was melting stone. "I understand how you feel about Yang, but please don't take it out on the stadium of cause the people to fear you."

When she said that, he looked around to find that he had gained the attention of some people in the crowd. He cooled off and tried to calm down and kept his hands to himself as he watched the rest of the fight continue. He watched Weiss sacrifice herself to take out Flynt, but he was able to continue with some aura to spare. Yang was pushed to her point of which she couldn't take anything else to get her even more upset and activated her semblance. She managed to shoot a round at Flynt, lowering his aura into the red, after she destroyed much of the arena. Neon was trying to keep steady as she skated across the rough terrain but soon found herself in a geyser and a shot from Yang, blowing her up in the air. Strom cheered loudly upon seeing his girlfriend winning the match and sending team RWBY to the bracket tournament. The rest of the team rushed out to check on Weiss and congratulate Yang on their victory.

"Yang you did it!" Strom shouted as he wrapped his arms gently around Yang's neck. "Team RWBY is in the bracket tournament now."

"Yeah, all we have to do is come to a conclusion of who to send, me or Weiss," Yang said listing off the only two who could participate in the bracket system. "Weiss, do you think that you should continue on with the tournament?"

"As much as I would love to continue, I think that I will step down to give myself time to recover from all of this," she responded in a raspy voice before coughing out smoke. "Yang will get to go up and prove that we are the best- *Cough Cough*- team."

"Oohhh Yang, who is your friend there?" Neon asked with her voice sounding a little mischievous. "He looks like that he could be-"

"Finish that sentence and I will fry you on the spot," both Yang and Strom said at the same time, clearly upset with Neon's choice of insults.

"Ah… a match made in heaven for you, Yang," Neon said trying to force a smile when her eyes showed fear. Strom and Yang soon rusted into laughter afterwards.

"Oh, there are no hard feelings, right Strom?" Yang said facing Strom who was still glaring at Neon. Yang puffed her cheeks a little and looked at Strom sternly. "Strom it's fine, so stop being so grumpy about what she said."

"Fine," he said as he settled down and Neon seemed to calm down as well. "I want to let you know that you look just fine Yang, I would not change anything about you, nor do I think that you need to lose any weight. Now, what you want to change about your image is up to you, I will accept you for who you are."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Neon said looking peppy at the couple. "It makes me jealous, oh well. I'll just have to find a nice guy for me."

"Let's get you back to the dorms so you can get cleaned up Weiss," Ruby said as she and Blake supported Weiss back to the dorm.

"Okay, then I will give a ride for my champion," Strom said as he offered Yang to get on his back, but she refused. "Okay, can I walk next to my champion, hand in hand?"

She laughed a little and put on a grin. "That sounds wonderful Strom."

They walked back to their dorm together, side to side and her right hand in his left. Neither of them said a word to each other, for they knew that actions would always speak louder than words. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on her head, but made sure that he didn't make her uncomfortable. Their smiles grew sweeter as their blushes grew deeper and fuller.

"I love you Yang," Strom said meaning every word of it.

"I love you too Strom," she said as she meant each word.

Action may speak louder than word, but it's always nice to hear it every now and then.

"Oh good, you guys are back, guess who's here again?" Ruby said very excited than her usual self.

"There are the love birds," Qrow said with a smirk looking at the couple that entered. "That was a great match you pulled off there, Firecracker. The same goes to you Ice Queen jr."

"Hey," Weiss said with a little rasp in her voice still but not as much as she had earlier. "I'm doing better."

"Heh, yeah you are, now who wants to play some games with Uncle Qrow?" he asked brandishing some controllers. "I found these at a nice price."

"Ooh ooh, I would Uncle Qrow," Ruby enthusiastically said jumping up and down for joy, ready to play some video games. "Anyone else want to join in?"

"I'll play the winner," Yang said sitting down behind the two as they played together. She patted the area next to her. "Strom would you like to sit and watch with me?"

"Sure and maybe I can try a round or two," Strom suggested getting a look from Qrow.

"Heh, I think even the Ice Queen could beat you easily," Qrow said snickering a little, knowing how much Strom knows about the world. "No offense, but you're more of a realistic approach kind of guy."

"Well I might be able to win once during this session," Strom said trying to stay hopeful and positive about his lack of experience. "Who knows, maybe I can even beat you."

"Well I have been surprised before, think you can pull it off and surprise me?" Qrow said with a challenging grin.

"Think? I'll show you the proof you need to be surprised and I kind of lost track of where I was going with that," Strom said as everyone laughed lightly. "But I could just pull something from my sleeve."

"Bring it on then," Qrow challenged Strom to the game and proceeded to beat him in every round that they would play. "Heh, well I'll give it to you that you have patience and a level head. Now Ruby, are you ready to start playing?"

"I'll defeat you this time!" Ruby cried with a triumphant voice, only to be beaten over and over again. She curled into a ball and began to contemplate why she even tried. "It's like nothing changes at all!"

"My turn now," Yang said as she entered a very intense state of focus and determination. She would beat her uncle this time, she could feel it. "Your streak ends here and now."

"We'll see about that," he responded as they chose their characters for the first round.

They started their rounds of the game and it was looking even for the two until the final round, when Qrow started to talk about his latest mission. Yang got interested at the story and didn't realize that it was just a ploy for the man to beat Yang and to input an image of a short skirted innkeeper into everyone's mind. Yang got upset when he got to that part and threw a pillow at her Uncle's face.

"And that's how the cookie crumbles," Qrow said with a smirk.

"You jerk," Yang pouted as she berated herself in her mind on how she lost.

"Well, it's been nice getting back in touch with you guys, but I can't lose my touch with a bunch of kids," Qrow said as he stood up and walked to the exit. "Remember you all are going to go far in this line of work. I still need to see what you are capable of Fishbait, but that can wait. Take care of yourselves everyone."

"Bye, and take care of yourself as well, OLD MAN," Ruby and Yang shouted down the hall while everyone else snickered when they heard his response.

"I'm not old, I'm finely refined!" Ruby and Yang were laughing as they closed the door to their dorm.

"He's totally old," Yang said as she took off her weapons and began cleaning and repairing them. "I can't wait to see who I fight tomorrow."

"Well I guess I can add Fishbait to my list of names," Strom said as he pulled out his violin and prepared it for playing. "I guess that I have enough practice to say that I can fulfill that promise I made to Boran and Lily."

"Oh, would you like me to get your scroll ready?" Ruby asked still laughing at her uncle. "I know that I missed the two, how about you Blake?"

"Yeah, I missed them too," Blake said nervously remembering how much they frighten her. "Just a pair of angels they are."

"Blake, are you alright?" Strom asked seeing the paleness in her face, before coming to a realization. "Oh, are you remembering how they scared you and remembered them for that?"

"Yeah you could say that," she responded still not ready to tell him that she knew Adam and was still an active member hell bent on the revenge and vengeance attacks that he called justice. "They would definitely give Weiss a run for her money."

"What did they do to make you fear them so much?" Weiss asked sounding a lot better than before. "It's like they tortured you in some way."

"Well they are very intelligent for their age," Strom said as he finished applying rosin to the bow. "I think that they work very well together despite the trouble they cause sometimes, from what I heard from mom and dad."

"Let's just get the call started then and listen to Strom play," Ruby said excited to see Strom's siblings. She started the call to Strom's residence and soon enough were found with the siblings' faces fighting over whom would see the person first.

"MMmmrrrgh, Boran you answered it last time let me- Ruby is that you?" Lily said as she got one look at the screen to find Ruby's face. "Boran, it's Ruby, is Strom and everyone else there too?"

"Yep we're all here are your parents home?" Ruby asked wanting to let everyone hear the music. "Strom planned on fulfilling your bet."

"What's this I hear about a bet?" Darrel said as he wheeled himself into sight before breaking into a huge grin. "Oh hello Strom's team, how are you all?"

"We're doing fine dad, thank you for asking," Strom said pleased that everyone is doing well. "What is mom up to?"

"Oh, I'll go get her," Boran said rushing off to get his mother. A minute later they both rushed down to meet the team with bright smiles.

"Oh it's so good to see you all again, how is the festival going?" Mona asked curious since they were too busy to watch the festival.

"Well we're doing well and we are in the bracket portion of the tournament, Yang is leading us to victory," Weiss said with pride swelling in her chest.

"We are hoping that we can win this year's tournament, but it won't be easy," Blake said calmly but gave a smile to the family in front of her. "Anyways Strom, it's your floor."

"Thank you Blake," Strom said before pulling out the violin. "This is for two siblings that managed to scare one of my teammates. Good job Boran and Lily, you troublemakers."

After that he began playing the violin and everyone enjoyed the sound that he played. As he played, someone else had something to confirm with their group.

Cinder had finished up sending a message to her associates and was now waiting on a reply. She would never say it out to anyone, but she feared the one she works for. She never thought that someone could become that powerful and control Grimm so easily. She informed her about everything that was happening and about how she met someone that she could use to visit someone who was dead. She waited for any signs of a reply or information that she could use before the plan was pulled off tomorrow. She also asked if there was a way to revive the dead, not that she expected a response from them. To her surprise she did get a message.

*There is a way to revive the dead. I have sent someone for an item that I need, but unfortunately he said that someone else had beaten him to it. He said that his name is Strom and that he was attending beacon. Should the story be true and he does have the gem, convince him to join us or capture him alive. You will be rewarded nicely should you capture him. I have also sent the same agent, who was supposed to retrieve the gem, to you for assistance he shall be there early tomorrow. Do not fail me, you wouldn't like the punishment.*

She shuddered upon reading the last sentence, knowing well enough not to disappoint her. She put her scroll away and proceeded to walk through the school grounds one last time before she executes her plan. She could hear a faint sound and looked around to figure out where it was coming from. She looked up to find Strom in the window, playing the violin. She smiled knowing that he will be an asset to the group, and then frowned upon knowing that he wouldn't join unless they can break him. She walked back to her dorm to get some sleep before the new day. She had a lot of work ahead of her.

 **Ugh, I'm tired. I hope that you all have enjoyed the chapter and I will continue to hope that you all are still enjoying the story. I'm sorry that this is later than when I normally post. Shit happens and you're working 4 hours later than usual. On the bright side, my paycheck is getting nicer by the hour.**

 **Anyways time to rest and think about the next chapter where things start to go downhill for everyone.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	21. Chapter 19

**I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving for the USA, and I hope that everyone is having a great week. Here is the next chapter for you reading pleasure.**

Chapter 19: Absolute Zero (Part 1)

Cinder woke up as she has done for the past few days: clean up, eat, and look at the information that she has been able to access from the CCT tower. She wondered who would be coming over this morning to help out with her plan. She went through her list of people that she had written down on her scroll. She put down the scroll when she felt the air get cold and heard a knock on the door.

"No, anyone but him," she said to herself before opening the door. "Who is it?"

"It's your one true love, my Ashen Princess," a male voice answered sounding overly dramatic as always. "Your knight in icy armor is here to serve you."

"Why did they send you here, Aquilo?" Cinder asked as she opened the door, knowing that he wasn't as helpful since the last time she had seen him. He stood above six feet tall, with a cocky grin to add as well. His eyes were blue and cold and his hair was short and black. He wore armor that covered from his shins to his chest, leaving his arms free to swing his greatsword that he wore at his side. "Last time we've seen each other, you could barely stand against both Mercury and Emerald. What makes you think that you're good enough to help out?"

"Well, I was supposed to go get the gem that she wanted but alas the store I went to ran out of stock, so I froze the place and moved on to help you bring down Vale. That should answer your first question," Aquilo said as he began to clean his armor with a rag he had. "Ah, nice and shiny. To answer your second question, I'm not that same person that you met years ago, for I have gone through some very intense training with her to train me."

"What, how did you manage to get that? No one else has received anything close to that," she demanded to know. She grabbed him by the straps on his shoulders and brought him down low enough to look her at eye level. She felt the room drop in temperature as she saw her exhaled breath and felt her hands growing dangerously cold. "What the-"

"I would recommend that you should let go, if you can that is," he smiled as he stood up and watched her release him in order to save her hands. "Thankfully your aura protected you from the bite of my frost this time. Next time you should be more careful though, ever since my training with her, I have gotten immensely more lethal and much, much more powerful than you think. I can keep up with you and the other maidens now."

"In such a short time? No, you must have been holding back the entire time," she accused him as he shook his head.

"Ah, but alas, it's what happened my dear," he said as she shuddered about the thought. She didn't like how powerful he is now. She saw him as a threat, a risk to her plans.

"What place did you freeze and were there any survivors?" She asked since they had to keep a low profile.

"The place I froze is the place where I wanted to train, but 'he' had to go and ruin that by exposing me," he growled remembering the memory. "There are now two people in the world who know of the place. One doesn't know what happened there and the only one who walked away from there, me. So let's get on to business shall we, what can I do to help make this go as smoothly as possible?"

"Hmm, actually, there is one thing that I need from you," she said as she thought about the idea. "I have an associate that has managed to get himself in jail in a certain ship here, if you can get in and break him out that would help make things so much more efficient. The only issue is how to get you in there?"

"Hehe, maybe I should cause some trouble to get in there," he suggested before laughing at the thought of turning himself in. "I like that idea actually. Be too much for the regular police to handle so the Atlas military steps in and captures me. Then, I break out with your associate and we continue to bring the fall of Vale. How does that sound to you, my dear?"

"Hmm, that might actually work," Cinder mused to him as she called Mercury. "Yes, there has been a change of plans. Come with Emerald for details."

"Heh, who is this shrimp here?" He asked as he smiled at Neo, who had just woken up to find someone she didn't recognize in front of her. She jumped back in surprise and he laughed at the sight. "Oh, she's adorable, but lethal and dangerous. I can see it in her eyes that change. So I take it that you like my idea and want to add to it?"

"Well your idea will be giving me slight pleasure if it all works out well enough, but we don't have much time to make a back-up plan, so this must work," She said knowing that they don't have a lot of chances to make this work. "So if you screw up, I won't hesitate to tell her why."

"Well I assure you that failure will not happen," he said pulling out his greatsword and made sure that it was sharp. "So, shall we begin debriefing?"

Strom woke up early in the morning in Yang's bed and drank water. He stroked Yang's head with a smile. She smiled and nuzzled closer to him and woke up. They smiled at one another and gave each other a quick kiss.

"That's a nice way of saying good morning Strom," Yang said with a smile before stretching out and started to move around more. "Are you ready to watch me kick butt again?"

"No, but I am ready to cheer you on and watch you win," he said as she smiled. "But I guess that you just said the same thing."

"Yeah, but your way is sweeter," she said softly and then thinking about his condition and all of his past that he told them about. "It's sad that someone as nice as you had such a rough life. You haven't even turned twenty and you have taken on so much."

"I can say the same for you Yang," he said looking into her lilac eyes. "You grew up taking care of Ruby alongside your dad, who may have had a rough part after Summer's… passing, and try to look for your mom to learn why she left. You didn't have it easy as well."

"Well, I guess you make a point there," she said as she thought about their pasts. "I think that we should get ready for breakfast and wake the others up."

"Sounds good to me," he said placing his forehead onto hers, gently. "Want me to save all of you seats?"

"That would be nice and maybe after that we could spar a little," she said before remembering the gem. "Oh wait the gem should be your highest priority right now."

"My highest priority is friends, family, and most of all, you," he smiled after he said that and removed his forehead. "I'll check to see if a spar is alright with Caden, but first comes breakfast and getting cleaned up."

"We'll see you then," She said as he left the room. She took a long breath and thought to herself out loud. "How lucky am I to have you, Strom?"

"I'm sure that you would have met sometime later," Blake said opening her eyes and got out of the bed. "I wish that more people were like him. Kind, careful, wants peace for everyone, and knows how to prepare fish."

"Something tells me that the last part is more of a qualification for your pleasure, Blake," Weiss said smirking as she was now sitting up straight on the side of the bed. "You would agree with me, right Ruby?"

"Were you all up for all of that just now?" Yang asked slightly embarrassed that her friends had been able to hear everything that transpired.

"Indeed and Ruby, are you awake?" Weiss asked now standing to check on her partner. She opened Ruby's curtain to find that her partner was asleep in peace. "Oh, you were just up not too long ago."

"Do you want a little revenge Weiss?" Yang asked with a mischievous grin that grew slightly wider when she saw the smile that Weiss had on her face. "Top-left dresser drawer underneath the shirts is her whistle."

Weiss made sure to grab the whistle as fast as possible without making a sound. Upon seeing the whistle, she remembered her first school day at beacon and the high pitched sound that it was capable of making. Her devious smile grew with the thought of blowing loudly as Ruby had done that morning, if not harder. After making her way back to her bunk bed, she turned to Yang and Blake, who were covering their ears for safety, and nodded to signal that she was ready. She took a deep breath and pulled the curtains open so that everyone would see their leader's reaction.

 _ **FWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!**_

Strom sat down at the cafeteria with a small breakfast of eggs and toast. As he finished up breakfast, he met Flynt and Neon and got to know them better. He told them about how he played the violin and is beginning to get back into music again. They all talked about the match and all the what-ifs and different outcomes. They found the rest of team RWBY walking over towards them in combat gear.

"Good morning everyone," Strom said with a bright smile until he saw Ruby massaging her ears. "What happened?"

"Payback," Weiss said with a small smile which Strom returned with a confused look. "Oh right, on our first day 'Ruby' thought it was a good idea to blow the whistle on us."

"On you Weiss," Blake intervened making the facts known while giving the heiress a slight smug look.

"Okay fine, on me, and Yang told me where the whistle was so I could have a little revenge," Weiss said as Yang bowed slightly and Ruby pouted a little.

"You betrayed me Yang," Ruby mumbled out before puffing her cheeks a little.

"Oh what's a little whistle going to hurt?" Yang asked giving a big smile before getting breakfast.

"Well maybe this was a little overboard," Weiss said now thinking about it. "I apologize for that Ruby. No hard feelings, right?"

"Well, I guess that I could forgive you," Ruby said slowly thinking of something. "But only if you- URK! Oww, okay I forgive you and require nothing. Are you happy, Strom?"

"Yes, and don't think that every time someone does you wrong that everything will be solved by cookies and an "I'm sorry" because you will be shocked of how some people work," he said as he knew from experience. "It's best to forgive and walk away at times when we don't want to end life. We're hunters of Grimm, not humans, not faunus or other sentient life."

"Man, that's some wise word you're saying dude," Flynt said looking at his scroll. "Well Neon, we need to begin training for next year's festival, and beat team RWBY."

"And then they can celebrate our victory," she said as they both stood up and left. "We wish you guys luck this time, but next time we'll get you for sure."

"We'll be waiting," Ruby shouted before turning around with a grin on her face. "I guess when this festival is finished that we should begin practice as well."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Yang said as she returned with four trays balanced on each other. "Okay, salad for Weiss, a fruit bowl for me, an omelet for Blake, and for my dear sister, a slice of toast with strawberry jam."

"Did you forget something Yang?" Ruby asked slightly worried about her sister's memory.

"Oh, and a glass of milk," Yang said as she placed a cold glass in front of Ruby. Weiss and Blake exchanged a look of worry for how Yang spoils Ruby a little. "I must admit that would get us in a 'jam' if I forgot something."

"Ugh, do you have to ruin breakfast for everyone?" Ruby asked as Blake and Weiss held their head in their hands, but Strom was giggling quietly.

"It's worth it every time that he laughs," she replied to her younger sibling. "So, that's why I keep it up.

"Strom we need to desensitize you to her puns," Ruby said looking at the one reason Yang kept it up. "Then we can finally be free from the torture."

"I don't think that will happen," Strom said as he stood up from the table with a smile. "Well I need to go and begin practice now, but I will be there for the match, Yang."

"Okay, work hard and well," Yang said as everyone else gave a wave goodbye. "I know that he will be fine, but I can't help but worry about it."

"We're all worried Yang," Blake said placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. "It would be wrong to not worry, but we can't dote on him. He would want us to be safe and not harmed."

"Blake's right. Strom has overcome challenges before and will continue to do so," Weiss said looking towards Yang with a smile. "We'll be there when he needs us."

"We won't let a member of team RWBY behind," Ruby said in between bites. "Like this glass of milk, we'll become stronger."

"Umm, Ruby, I'll give you an A for effort, but a C for execution and relativity," Weiss said shaking her head a little. "It's natural for us to be concerned and don't think for a second that we would never be worried about a teammate."

"Thanks everyone," Yang said wiping a tear from her eye before noticing team JNPR. "Hey guys we saved you all a seat!"

After Strom left the cafeteria, he returned to his spot from yesterday and began training again. He looked around to find darkness consuming the light in the plane and Caden sitting, waiting for him.

"You're early this time. That's good, but it won't be any good if you don't make progress," he said looking at Strom. "Now let's begin, remember you must balance the dark without trying to control it. You must embrace it without it consuming you, or you overpowering it. It will only be you and your dark self from now on. Good luck."

As Caden said those words he faded out and a new form stepped into the light. Strom saw himself sit down in a fashion that he would never use. His eyes were bright yellow and wore a black sarong and his smile was smug. Another thing that Strom noticed was the black aura that outlined his body.

"Well now, looks like I'll be bored out of my mind for a while," his dark counterpart said looking into the light. "So what do we plan to do Gray?"

"Gray? Who is Gray?" Strom asked confused to what his dark counterpart meant. "It should only be the two of us."

"Yeah and it looks like it will be that way until you come to realize it," he returned rudely. "And don't think that I'll tell you who we're waiting on, because I want to try and have fun and convince you that my side is more fun and better for you."

"Well that is not going to happen because I want be in balance," Strom said sternly letting be known that he won't back down. "So shall we begin Black?"

"I have always been ready Gray," Black said with a grin and a maniac look in his eyes. "So how quick will you learn Gray?"

"Stop calling me Gray! I am supposed to be light," Strom shouted before recoiling at his own tone and action. "Sorry, we've just met and I have lost my temper, but please don't call me Gray."

"Heh, sorry, but I call people for who they are Gray," Black said laughing in Strom's face. "I think it is time for White to get here though, if he feels well enough for it that is."

"What who's White?" Strom asked before a weak light came from behind him. Another Strom who wore all white and had yellow eyes as well but they were full of warmth and kindness. His white aura outlined his body as Blacks did. "Wait, are you White?"

"You are correct Gray," White said weakly, looking tired. "I am White and will try to help you through this alongside Black."

"Yeah, fat chance of that happening White," Black said laughing boisterously. "He doesn't even accept the fact that he's Gray yet."

"Well I guess that is something that we can work on first," White said still looking pale. "I'm guessing that you're a little shocked about learning about me, correct?"

"That would be correct and one of many questions that I have but probably won't be answered until later," Strom replied, worried about what he was doing. "So if he's Black and you're White, how am I here and what do I represent?"

"Strom, you are gray, you are the balance between light and darkness, just like everyone is," White began to explain. "Some people are tempted by the light and want to become justice, while others are tempted by the darkness and follow the path of sorrow, but they are still not pure light or dark. Some light followers have been tempted before and some dark followers have had a change of heart. Everyone is a Gray, Strom. However, you have a dark power inside of you and it was pure darkness."

"Wait, you said was, what happened?" Strom asked and heard a growl behind him.

"You tainted it with a fragment of light," Black looked at Strom with deadly intent. "The gem is now ruined. I hope that you get controlled."

"Thanks for the support Black," Strom said sarcastically. "Ugh this is getting me nowhere."

"You have a long road ahead of you, but for now go and rest," White said before coughing a little. "You have a match to attend to."

With a snap of their fingers Strom was back in the real world and found black lines running up from where the gem entered. He silently cursed his luck and made his way over to the arena. When he arrived with the rest of his team, they parted ways with Yang and found seats in the arena. They watched as all the combatants filed into the giant area to start the selection process. When the machine came to a stop, it showed Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black's pictures.

"Well this will be an interesting match," Strom mumbled to himself before shouting. "Do your best Yang!"

"Break a leg sis," Ruby cheered loudly, and then leaned towards Strom. "Do you think she will win?"

"Only time will tell Ruby," Strom said as everyone else left the arena center. He looked around the entire place and felt that something was off.

Yang and Mercury's match soon began and Aquilo got into his position. He knew the updated plan that was going to happen and he couldn't wait for their work to pay off. The only downside was that he would be low on aura so he couldn't get into fights afterwards.

"After all, what I have to do is just provoke Strom into protecting Yang and then stage a fight from there," he spoke very quietly to himself. "After he 'defeats me' and turns me in to the general, we cause mayhem. All I have to do is wait for the cue."

 **I apologize that this chapter was a lot shorter than what I usually post, but the only thing I can blame is myself. Anyways, I hope to see you all when we get to see what happens next. Maybe a little teaser might be of good use here?**

"Capture him, he must not escape!"

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Searing Eruption!"

"I always wondered what would happen when something very hot meets something ice cold"

"You can't beat my semblance, Absolute Zero!"

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	22. Chapter 20

**I should say this more often, but in all seriousness, Thank You all for reading this story. I need to say it more often. I find enjoyment in writing for all of you. Even though it's not the best writing, but it still counts. This story has reached over 11,000 views… I never would have imagined that that would be possible. Hell, I never even thought I would enjoy writing in general. And yet here I am continuing with the 'official' chapter 20.**

 **I hope that you still enjoy this story and I wish to know how anyone feels about the story. I want to be more interactive with you all and to learn how you view the story. Okay, I have taken enough space. I'll let you all read now.**

 **Oh, one more thing. This chapter is going to make this story without a doubt, rated M.**

Chapter 20: Absolute Zero (Part 2)

"Let the match begin," Portman announced to everyone as Yang and Mercury began their fight. Everyone watched with eagerness to see who would come out the winner. Both of the martial artists seemed evenly matched in the beginning, and then Mercury began to fire projectiles from his boots that homed in on Yang. Strom watched as her aura started to go down below the fifty percent mark. He began to lean in and the gripped his sarong even tighter with worry.

"Come on Yang I know you can do it," he whispered to himself. He knew that Mercury is not an easy opponent and that he was holding back when they fought to see if Goodwitch would have anything to say about their chances at qualifying in the tournament. "I know that you can pull through Yang!"

They continued to battle it out and Yang got in a nice combo on Mercury, bringing him down to thirty percent, but she was at twenty five percent. Mercury knew that this was the time for the accident as planned, so he rushed in close to send a kick that she could block or catch and she played right into his hands as planned. She sent a semblance-boosted punch into his chest and knocked out the rest of his aura. Now all he had to do was sit there, look as innocent as possible and wait for Yang to react to whatever Emerald showed her.

Yang's feet slowly felt cold as she saw Emerald's deception and looked down to see ice forming at her feet. Mercury looked confused as well, for he knew that it was supposed to be the next fight that this happened. The ice quickly grew thicker and crept up her legs quickly forming a cocoon of ice around her entire body. The only part that wasn't covered was her head and she shivered at the cold.

"What's going on?" Doctor Oobleck said before watching a lone figure drop into the arena. "Cut off the cameras and send for General Ironwood."

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Mercury asked in confusion to try to keep up the charade and figure out why Aquilo was doing this now.

"I got bored and decided to act now," Aquilo said quietly making sure that Yang couldn't hear by placing a small ice dome around her head. "Besides you said that she was "Strom's girl" correct?"

"Yes, but why are you doing this," Mercury growled before being picked up by the throat and tried to get air. "This wasn't part of the plan!" was all he could muster in a gargle.

"Oh, I know, but sometimes revenge isn't something you can wait for," Aquilo spoke into his ears quietly before throwing Mercury out the arena center and onto the floor. He spun around and undid the ice dome around Yang's head. "And how are you today my sweet flower?"

"Get me out of here or else I'll-" Yang started to say before being cut off by her jailer.

"Or you'll what? Break out and beat me in combat?" he said with a vicious grin with cold eyes to match. "Oh that's a dream, because my ice is unbreakable. Hmm, I like you; maybe you should be with me, instead of being with whatever loser you're with now."

"How about you go to Hell," Yang shouted loudly and saw soldiers starting to surround them. "Heh, maybe you should have thought through you're planning better."

"Capture him," a soldier said to the others. "He must not escape!"

"Oh I'm sorry, but I never run away," Aquilo said and raised a giant ice dome that covered him and Yang. He made a small hole in the dome to speak with the head officer. "All I request is one person to enter here, Strom Teitsia. Bring him to me and the delicate flower won't lose its head."

"We don't negotiate with criminals," the officer said before seeing ice spikes get close enough to Yang's neck to poke but not puncture. She feared thinking that she would have died there, and then her eyes well up with tears as hopelessness filled her. The officer hesitated at the sight but had to ask. "What do you want with him?"

"Oh, I need to settle some business with him," he said in a dark tone as he added more spikes around Yang's head. "Bring him to me and I'll see how I feel about letting her go."

"You don't need to ask," Strom said walking up behind the officer. "I'm here now let her go!"

"Oh Strom, you are easy to predict," he said as Ice formed around Strom and merged into the dome, pushing him in though the barrier. "Have a good day soldiers of Atlas!"

He closed the hole and thickened the ice walls to ensure that it wouldn't be broken. He turned to see that Strom managed to break one of the ice spikes around Yang. He shook his head and withdrew the spikes.

"So, I'm here, will you let her go now?" Strom asked wanting to make sure that Yang got out safe. "Or are you just going to break your promise?"

"I never said that I would let her go, I just said that I would see how I feel about letting her go," he said as he used the ice to separate Strom from Yang and walked right in front of her. "She is a real beauty. I think that I'll have her for myself."

"Don't you dare think about touching her," Strom shouted, heating up in anger.

"Ooh, did I touch a nerve?" he said reaching out to touch Yang's cold cheek, but she turned away. "Hmm, maybe next time, but for now, Strom, prepare yourself to fight."

Aquilo drew his greatsword and tapped the edge onto the ground, signaling that he was ready. Strom hesitated a little, for he knew that the gem reacted to negativity and didn't want to feed it with his own anger. Slowly he put his hands up, ready to fight. Aquilo saw and smiled with a dangerous grin as he charged in and swung his greatsword swiftly at his target. Strom dodged but was surprised by the speed that his opponent had. He steeled himself and bounced onto the wall of the dome and leapt forward and connected a punch to the face.

"Oww, that actually hurt," Aquilo said rubbing his cheek and froze Strom's feet where they were. "But it's not good enough."

"We'll see about that," He said through his teeth as he used his semblance to melt the ice around his feet.

"Hmm, I always wondered what would happen when something very hot meets something icy cold," Aquilo said looking at the result of water pooling out from the ice that bonded Strom to the ground. "Hmm, looks like someone needs to chill out."

Strom rushed with a flurry of punches and kicks, but each one was blocked by the greatsword. He backed up and sent a stream of flames towards the swordsman only for ice to block it entirely and not melt. Aquilo sent ice shards from the wall he made to Strom and watch him try to block all of the incoming projectiles.

"Ohh, this is fun. I like to watch you struggle and suffer, but I wonder if I can really get you going," Aquilo said looking towards Yang and getting a devious idea. "Hmm, let's see how you like this, my golden flower."

Yang started to move around in her cold jail against her will. Her arms straightened outward and her legs straightened with her body and spread out a little. She was pinned to the wall and her neck and jaw were held tightly to make sure her mouth stayed closed. A wall was formed behind her and she was pinned to the wall and the ice around her breasts and waist began to thin.

"I'll let you know that that trick took me a while to get down 'just' right," he said looking at his work. "Sometimes I got this close and either their neck snapped or they were twisted and busted into blood and entrails. One of them even managed to have their limbs removed, but I felt nothing for them."

"You monster," Strom shouted and heated up more. "This ends here and now!"

"Yeah yeah, one moment please I have noise complaints that I need to make with those outside," Aquilo said freezing Strom in place again. "I'll be quick about it."

"There he is, open fire!" the officer said and his men shot their rifles only to have the rounds be stopped by ice.

"Sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to stop trying to break in. I'm a little busy," he said as he froze all the men in place and made plenty of citizens scream in horror. "Much better, thanks a lot."

"Why are you doing this?" Strom shouted with anger his semblance melting the ice faster now. "What do you have to gain from this?"

"It's not what I have to gain, but what can I destroy," he replied coldly, looking at Yang. "And I want to destroy everything. A frozen world doesn't sound bad to-"

Strom interrupted him with a punch to the back of the head. When his target landed face first into the ground, Strom grabbed the ankles and flipped over and slammed Aquilo into the ground again and again, each time with more force than the last, the evidence were the groans that got worse.

"ENOUGH!" Aquilo shouted with disbelief that Strom managed to injure him. He created handles and used that to throw Strom with his weight into the wall and froze him onto the wall but left his head able to move and watch. "I hoped that I wouldn't have to do this, but I guess that Strom wants me to do this."

"Do what?" Yang managed to sputter through her lips before seeing icy blue eyes that showed lust and insanity.

"This, my dear," He said before pressing his lips against hers, hungrily and she tried to scream but her position could only allowed it to come out as muffled. He placed his left hand on her right breast and the other feeling her maidenhood. He continued to feel her as she tried to squirm and get away, but couldn't. He broke off the kiss to look at her body. "Oh my, aren't you excited for this? Well maybe you will be when I fu-KAH!"

An arm grabbed his neck and tossed him back in front of Strom who saw everything and cried when he watched Yang be violated against her will and he couldn't help. He saw a mass of black hair and a woman with blood red armor drew her weapon and cut Yang free from her prison. She grabbed Yang with one arm around her stomach. And walk through a red and black hole that formed out of nowhere. All he heard was the footsteps that the woman took and Yang, sobbing about what happened. He looked down again to see Aquilo start to get up and he couldn't forgive him for what he did.

"You," Strom whispered and activated his semblance to limits he never took before. The ice bonds melted quickly and turned into gas. "You," He said louder getting the attention of Aquilo who stumbled upon getting up and looked at the fire in front of him. "YOU," Strom shouted sending a punch engulfed with intense heat and flames hot enough for his arm to start glowing. Aquilo tried to block it with his sword, but was knocked out of his hands and stuck into the ceiling of the dome.

"If you think that you have beaten me then you're wrong!" Aquilo shouted and became cold enough for ice to show on his entire body. "If you think that you can beat me, YOU CAN'T! You can't beat my semblance, Absolute Zero!"

"I will not just beat you. I'll destroy you for what you have done to me, for what you have done to those innocent lives and most of all, WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YANG!" With a fierce shout he unleashed a heat greater than he had ever let out before. The hot and cold air clashed and mixed, but eventually the air grew warmer and overpowered the cold. The ice was turning straight into steam and the pressure grew more intense. He slammed his hands onto the ground, made the entire arena floor red hot and shouted out loud, "Searing Eruption!"

Everyone saw the icy blue dome turn bright red and cracks began to form all around the dome. When flames began to seep through, people started to worry about what was going to happen. Suddenly the dome shattered and melted away before anyone was struck by any ice shards. The officers that were frozen had been thawed out by the intense heat and flames. They backed up to avoid being burnt by the flames. But they looked back to see the two fighters still fighting.

Yang continued to cry even after she was placed down onto the bed by the woman wearing a white mask with red detailing. She curled on the bed that she had been placed on in order to protect herself from anything else.

"You're safe now Yang," the woman sighed, displeased with the sight that she was seeing. "Enough, it's over you can stop crying now."

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Yang sniffed and rubbed her tears away. "And where's Strom?"

"Probably still throwing a tantrum back at the arena," Raven said before looking back at the arena. "That's definitely some serious fireworks he's using there, so I'll give it to him that he has power. Why do you care for him so much? He doesn't seem that special. You could have been better off alone."

"And that's where you're wrong," Yang said in Strom's defense for she knew that her mother didn't know him. "You don't even know him that well."

"Don't come crying to me should he leave you," she said coldly and stepped through a new portal that she made. "I haven't been wrong yet."

"You don't even know me that well either, so how can you even say that," Yang spoke softly after seeing the portal close. Then she remembered that everyone else was still at the arena and send a message on her scroll to let them know what happened.

The rest of team RWBY showed worry once they saw that Yang was no longer there when Strom broke the dome. Ruby panicked since even she knew that people do not disappear without a good reason and since she knew that Strom felt a very strong need to protect what he loves, her small heart fell with fear. Fear that she might have lost her sister. Tears started to form in her eyes when she got a message on her scroll at the same time with Weiss and Blake.

"She's alright Ruby, look!" Weiss shouted and showed Ruby the message sent from Yang. "Someone managed to enter the dome and free her. She's safe, so now we just wait for the General Ironwood's forces to capture this guy."

"Thank Oum she's safe," Ruby said not knowing what she would do if she lost Yang for good. She looked around and saw the worried looks everywhere and got an idea. "Strom, you can do it! Kick his butt!"

"Ruby what are you do-," Weiss said before Ruby pointed around them and she saw people looking towards them with slight hope in their eyes. "Ohhh, teach him some respect and manners, Strom!"

"Show him not to mess with our team!" Blake shouted as people began to join in.

"Break his legs Strom and don't even think about giving him pancakes EVER!" Nora shouted with a scowl. Ren nodded to show that he agreed with Nora.

"GO Strom GO," Jaune chanted and repeated hoping to get people to chant as well. Slowly, people started to get enough hope and began to join in the chant.

Strom heard the voices surrounding him, but all he could focus on is the threat in front of him. Both of their blows were even and shook the stadium with their shockwaves. The arena was charred black and cracked in several areas. Ice patches were soon melted by the heat and the heated temperature was cooling down rapidly. He knew that it had to end, but he only had one idea left to try and use.

"I see that you're getting cooler, looks like it's time to end this," Aquilo said with a grin. "Hehehe, oh I have been waiting to use this on you."

Ice formed around his entire body adding mass and size to him. He became an ice giant and caused everyone to gasp at the size of the thirty foot behemoth in front of them. Strom gritted his teeth and clenched his right hand into a tight fist. He poured out another blast of heat to try and melt the ice, but he didn't see any signs of dripping. Suddenly, he felt pain in his chest and saw that the gem's black streaks were going out over his body. Slowly his vision blurred and became nothing but darkness.

Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and the rest of their friends watched in horror as Strom's skin turned completely black and began to pour out a dark aura. They watched as Strom launched himself through the ice giant and take out Aquilo out of the giant in a single blow. The impact alone knocked him out and the heat completely went away returning the stadium to a normal temperature. As soon as the two landed, officers swarmed to cuff the culprit, but had to take Strom off from punching Aquilo repeatedly in the face. Soon Strom's target moved from Aquilo to anyone who tried to stop him. People quickly began to fear once they saw Strom start attacking the officers.

"Quick, we have to knock him out!" Ruby declared jumping in without her weapon. "Come on!"

Blake and Weiss came in weaponless as well. Team JNPR started to join in, but Nora was stopped by Jaune. He quickly told her something and she took off running into the stands. Joining everyone else, Jaune tried to hold an arm down but was quickly thrown off. Strom was fighting viciously and uncaring, he punched Ren in the chest, knocking the air out of him. Blake undid the ribbons that wrapped her right arm getting ready for a chance to tie him up. She had about ten feet of ribbon to tie him up. Weiss and Ruby used their semblances to try and knock down Strom so Pyrrha could use hers to keep him pinned down to the ground. However he moved out of the way for most of the attempts and when they did manage to hit him, he would fall over and get back up just as quick.

"Pyrrha can you distract him for a while? I have an idea," Ruby called out letting the redheaded Spartan fight Strom. "I'll try to see how fast Yang can get here."

Yang was on the floor sitting with her knees to her chest, her back on the side of Blake's bed. She thought about everything that happened and everything that her mother said. She returned to how hopeless she felt when she was taken advantage like that. And that hopelessness turned into anger. How dare he to take advantage of her like that? How dare that bastard to humiliate her in front of her love? Her thoughts were soon put on hold when she received a call from Ruby.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Yang asked knowing the fight should still be going on. "How's Strom?"

"Yang, Strom has lost control and we need you to get here as fast as possible," Ruby said quickly before Jaune was tossed past her with a squeal. "Anyways please hurry."

Just like that the call ended. Yang put down the scroll and thought about everything that happened in order. First it looked like that she was going to be attacked by Mercury, but was frozen before she could act, Strom came to try and rescue her, but her mother beat him to it. Now Strom had just finally beaten the asshole that violated her and lost control due to the gem inside of him. She was hoping to let him have it later, but she had no choice now as she rushed to get to the arena.

"Yang is rushing to get here!" Ruby announced to everyone and rushed to tackle Strom to the ground. "Strom this is for your own good. Everyone, dog pile!"

"Wait, I'm here now," Nora shouted dripping wet and a huge grin on her face. "Let's see you handle a Nora-up-punch!"

Nora leapt onto the arena center, in front of Strom, and delivered a solid right punch into his stomach and sent him flying into the wall. He stayed there for a second before falling onto the ground. He started to get up and was feeling a little dazed from that blow, but he stood up and staggered his way back to reach his target for his wrath. The soldiers took the opportunity to get the culprit out and on his way into the cells were Roman Torchwick was. Strom saw that his target was leaving so he tried to chase it, but was cut off by his team and friends.

"Strom, we don't want to hurt you but if this keeps up then we have no choice," Weiss said hoping that he would quickly come to his senses, but he still looked at them with yellow eyes. "Alright, then you leave us with no choice. Blake, Ruby, are you ready?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Blake said getting her ribbon ready. "Ruby, I know this is hard, but are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Strom asked us to help him when he needs it, so yes," Ruby said with a fired up determination as she took off her hood. "It's time that I put what I learned to the test. Jaune, can you all make sure that he can't leave?"

"You got it, Ruby," Jaune said turning towards his team.

"Thanks," Ruby said before rushing to join Weiss and Blake in front of Strom. "Let's do this."

Ruby and Blake Rushed past him causing him to take his eyes off of Weiss for a moment, who used her semblance to launch herself and, with a single hand, slammed into his chest sending him back far. When he came to a stop he was lying on top of Ruby's hood and Ruby decided to put her cloak to use and wrap him up inside her cloak. Blake took the chance she was given and began to tie him together. He struggled to break free of his bonds, but how they had him tied kept him unable to move.

"Wow, I didn't think that would actually work," Ruby said causing her team to look at her with worry. She looked back and put her hands up. "Hey, I had other plans that could have worked as well."

"Well, now the big question. How are we going to knock him out?" Weiss asked as Nora threw a frying pan that slip to their feet. "Why do you have that and where did you get it?"

"Ren always has a pan on him for pancakes," Nora said with her usual bubbly personality.

Ren on the other hand looked towards Nora in confusion. "I do?"

"Well I guess that this is it," Blake said grabbing the pan and was about to strike when Yang came barreling in with a shout.

"Noooooooooooo," she said as she rushed into Strom embracing him in a hug. "At least try something more humane than that."

As team RWBY began arguing with each other, Strom stopped trying to break out of his bonds. He heard a voice, a voice that usually was filled with laughter, or was it a pun? A voice that would make him smile whenever he heard it. Wait, the voice is sounding worried and concerned, why is the voice worried? His vision went from black to a blur and he saw four colors. Red, White, and Black were a little bit farther away from him, but Yellow was very close to him. He noticed that he was embraced by Yellow. The voices started to become clearer and this vision sharpened to see what was going on. Yang held a frying pan above her head with closed eyes.

"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good," Yang said and swung the pan down.

"Yang?" Strom asked before getting hit. _**Pang!**_

"Awe, I was having fun there," Black said looking angry at White and Strom. "Your friends decided to put an end to it, especially that blonde bitch who hit us."

"What did you call Yang?" Strom asked making sure that he had a good reason to act.

"Yeah, Yang, that blonde bitch is the one who put me back in here," Black said not noticing Strom's anger was towards him. "Let me out again Gray. I'll teach her some respect."

"And what do you have in mind?" He asked clenching his fist and gritting his teeth.

"Oh, just to rock her world and make her yours forever," Black said with an evil grin before Strom punched Black as hard as he could. "How, how could you hit me? It shouldn't be possible!"

"I'm curious as well, _cough cough_ ," White said before looking towards Strom. "Strom, could you test and see if you can shake hands with me?"

"Okay, and thank you for using my name," he said shaking hands with White.

"Amazing you can contact us, and I felt a little better when you punched Black," White said amazed by the discovery. "I don't believe that punching Black will be a solution to everything, but you did tip the balance just now, so I guess that Black needs to be put into check before everything can be fixed."

"You do seem a bit brighter after that," Strom said with a smile before turning back towards Black with an angry scowl. "As for you, Black, you will not ever speak to Yang like that again. EVER!"

"I will, I will, just please don't hurt me," Black pleaded as if his life was being threatened. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just please no more pain."

"Wow, that's just sad and pathetic," Strom said backing up and looked at the coward. "Do you not trust White at all?"

"No, I don't, he wants to smother me out of existence, I won't let him," Black said with fear and anxiety. "So I had to put out the light that would haunt me for so long and I almost had it, but you stepped in and screwed it up."

"Oh, this is not easy for me," Strom said rubbing his head. "Look, I am here to fix this. I want balance, a complete fifty-fifty in both dark and light. So we'll work on your confidence and trust, while I have to figure out what to work on with you."

"Well, I think that I may have been too kind and submissive," White admits rubbing the back of his head. "I did let him gain that much of the balance."

"Okay, now that I know what I'm dealing with I can help out next time," Strom said relieved that he was making strides for a balance. "Now I have to go comfort my team and make sure that Yang is alright."

Team RWBY made their way taking Strom into the medical room and laid him on a bed. The nurses check to make sure that everything was alright.

"How did he end up like this?" The nurse asked curiously not really expecting much.

"His girlfriend hit him on the head with a frying pan," Weiss said with a smug look as Yang was in tears like Weiss and Ruby when they played the game at the library.

"It was necessary," Yang said knowing that what she did was for the best. "I didn't like it but you all remembered what he said, "Knock me out should I ever lose control." And I just don't want you all to be the ones to get yelled at, so I did it."

"Well he should wake up shortly, so be ready," the nurse said as she left the room.

"He will? I'll be here then," Yang announced determined to be there when he started to stir. "Strom, are you coming to?"

"Urg, yes," he said groggily. "Yang, first thing, I forgive you for that, second thing, oww, and finally, are you alright?"

"I think that I will be fine," Yang said not wanting to think about what happened, but knew that he wouldn't let up about it. "I felt helpless and violated, at first I was crushed, but then I just felt so angry and did you manage to stop him?"

"Well, yes and no," he said stretching out his limbs before embracing Yang. "But in short, yes I did take him down. Now all I want to do is make sure that all the bad memories go away."

"Well the hug is certainly helping," she said nuzzling into his chest, hearing and feeling his heartbeat. "Mom was the one who got me out of there today."

"Oh, that's good, I think," he said uncertain of how Yang's mom feels about him. "I'm guessing that I will be able to meet her soon?"

"I wish that I could answer that, heck, I don't even know her that well," she said remembering something her mother said. "Strom, you aren't planning to leave, are you?"

"No, Oum no, I would never leave unless it was absolutely necessary," he said gently cupping his hands onto the sides of her face. "And even if I must, I would always be thinking of you and love you. I'll miss everyone else as well."

"Well, I hope you would," Weiss said with a smile as she crossed her arms. "You should probably get some rest soon. The tournament continues tomorrow since all this happened."

"Man, the other academies are probably going to be very off track with this happening," Ruby said looking around. "Also Yang, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, well I guess that now is an okay time," she said reaching into a pocket to bring out something that she was hiding in her hands. "No peeking~"

"Who turned out the lights?" Strom asked then looking around confused making everyone laugh a little. "Oh, I should probably hold out my hands."

"That might be a good idea," Blake said not knowing what Yang had for a surprise.

Strom held out his hands to receive Yang's gift. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was a sunflower necklace. Engraved on the necklace were the words, "My Sunfish Strom" he smiled as he saw the detailing and all of the work that had to be put into the engraving.

"Did you engrave this?" He asked and she hung her head in a little shame.

"Not really, I would have broken it and I had to prepare for the doubles round, so thank Ruby for the engraving, but I did choose what to have it say," she said looking at him wanting to know how he thinks of the gift. "So, what do you think about it?"

"Well, I 'know' that I love the gift," he said putting on the necklace and read the engraving again. "And I 'know' that I probably will never be taking this off, ever."

"Awe that's so sweet," Ruby said looking at the two. "Now I want some strawberries. Well let's get back into the dorm and figure out what is going to happen tomorrow."

"I like that idea," Blake said feeling a desire for reading. "All of this would make anyone tired."

"Carry me back Strom," Yang said letting herself fall onto the bed. Seeing the looks that her team was giving her made her rethink about what she just said. "Or maybe we can walk hand in hand?"

"I think I would enjoy that," he said with a smile before leaning into her ear to whisper his message. "Maybe next time."

Yang smiled when she heard that and stood up to let her boyfriend up from the bed. They held each others' hand as they went back towards their dorm to rest up, fill in what happened to Ozpin and JNPR, and eat dinner.

"I knew he couldn't be trusted," Emerald said pacing back and forth upset that Aquilo had stepped out of line in Cinder's plan. "Seriously, it's so stupid that he did that before he was supposed to."

"Well, now he is in jail with Roman as planned, just the timing was off," Mercury said as he maintained his legs as he had practiced every day that he had them. "I hope that I will be able to pay him back for what he did to me today."

"Oh, yeah I forgot to mention, but that was one of the things that made my day," she admitted with a sly grin. "The look on your face was so priceless."

"He did cause a great wave of fear, almost enough to start the invasion," Cinder said looking at her scroll with a slight scowl. "You both know how much I dislike when someone disobeys me, but we'll have to cross that bridge tomorrow. Emerald, we will still be going through the plan of when we stage the fight between the untouchable Spartan against the robot."

"Of course," Emerald said nodding her head before asking her question. "What should we do about the troublemaker?"

"For now he has more training than me, that is until I become the fall maiden," Cinder said with angry hidden in her voice but yet was noticed. "So until we get back, we do nothing to him. He was just playing around today and I really don't want to see him serious about killing or fighting, yet."

"Should we plan for him just in case he tries to intervene in anyway?" Mercury asked as he found a spot on his legs that he cleaned.

"No, we will rest for tomorrow," Cinder commanded firmly knowing tomorrow is the day. "Tomorrow, Beacon and Vale fall and their light will vanish."

Soldiers dragged someone into the cells next to Roman. He got curious since he has never seen this man before. He saw the guards place a greatsword next to his cane.

"So, who is the new guy here?" he tried to ask the guards, but was ignored to his displeasure. "Hey kid, you have a name that I can use?"

He heard light laughter from a few cells away. "Oh I have many names, but you can just call me Aquilo. So, what are you in for?"

"A plan that went very sour due to little red and her merry band of kids," He said not wanting to trust this newcomer but had no one else to talk to. "And you?"

"Oh, I am in here because I had a little bit too much fun today," Aquilo said showing his restraint cuffs. "So here I am with these special cuffs to keep me here."

"That doesn't seem too bad on what you did," Roman said since he knew that he had to cause mass mayhem in Vale to get his spot. "Well tomorrow will be a day."

"You said it Roman, you most certainly did," Aquilo said before slinking into his cell to sleep.

"Wait how did you know my name?" He asked but wasn't getting a respond. "Hey I'm talking to you!"

"Quiet inmate!" an officer growled to approving the volume he just heard. Roman glared at the officer before slinking into his cell and waited for tomorrow to come.

 **Well, I think we all know what will be in store next… *sigh*…. This is going to be hard on me… but it's necessary. See you all in the next week's installment. Oh, If anyone has any ideas about a possible Christmas story, don't hesitate to send me suggestions. I can't guarantee that I can write everyone's but any and all help is appreciated.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	23. Chapter 21

**Well here we are. Volume 3 finale of Fighting Fury. I still don't know what to do at this point because I thought that Volume 4 would be close to the end at this point. And yet as of this point I have only seen up to episode 5, so I guess that I can make a Volume in between volumes since I have something planned for that. I hope that you all enjoy and on we go.**

Chapter 21: Doused Flames

"Hmm, hm, hmmmm, hmm~" Aquilo was humming much to the annoyance of Roman.

"Hey, newbie, could you, oh I don't know, SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE?!" he roared with a vein looking like it wanted to burst.

"Nope," his fellow inmate said before continuing to hum.

"Aren't any of you going to do anything about this?" Roman asked the guards who were on standby for guard duty.

"Shut up, Roman," the guards say without any regard about the humming.

"Don't worry Roman," Aquilo said with a sadistic smile. "This will only last only eight more hours."

He continued to hum his tune with a new sound of Roman bashing his head on the wall. He knew what will happen when he was done humming, for he had everything timed out perfectly.

"I still like the eggs that you make Strom," Ruby said after finishing her eggs from the cafeteria. "How do you get them to be that fluffy?"

"Family secret Ruby," he replied before biting into an apple. "I can't just blab out every secret without a good reason."

"You have good cookie recipes as well, Oohhhhhh," Ruby groaned thinking about the delicious foods, and then faced Yang with a slight pout. "When are you going to marry him Yang?"

Her forward question made the two flush bright red, Weiss dropped her fork, Nora was devouring pancakes like normal, Blake rushed to look into her book, Ren and Jaune looked at the two with a smile and Pyrrha shifted uncomfortably next to Jaune, trying her hardest to stare at her food.

"Ruby, it's too early to think about that right now," Yang managed to sputter out while Strom was failing to recover. "I think that we would have to wait and see until after we graduate and learn how the world really works and… Strom help me."

"Uhhhh," he stretched the word trying to think of something. "I have nothing coming up, sorry."

"Oh well," Ruby said looking at Pyrrha and Jaune. "Jaune, is Pyrrha alright?"

' _oh no, not again,'_ Strom thought as Jaune reasoned with Ruby that they were fine. _'Yep, I'm going to have to talk too both of them don't I'_

"There's nothing to worry about Ruby, everyone has grown both mentally and as a team," Jaune said finished with reasoning with Ruby when Pyrrha stood up and walked out saying something about practice. Her tray was untouched and getting cold.

"Well, I will go exercise before I train my way as well," Strom said standing up from the table and put his tray away.

"Hey Strom," Jaune said catching up to him, closing the door behind him. "I was hoping that I could ask you something."

"What is it Jaune? I really hope that you are asking me for help, unlike the last time," He said harsh enough for Jaune to shift uncomfortably. "Sorry, that was a little uncalled for. I have been stressed a little bit lately."

"Well, a-at least I'm asking for help this time," Jaune said nervously. "Could you help me talk to Pyrrha? She's has been a little bit distant lately and I tried to ask her about it, but she left before I could make any progress."

"Well, I'll talk to her before I start training to see what's up," Strom said thinking about why Pyrrha would leave Jaune like that. "However, let me talk to her alone first before anything."

"Well, it's a start, thank you Strom," Jaune said before returning to the cafeteria.

"Well, you did ask for help this time," he said with a sigh. "Let's see how Pyrrha is handling herself."

He left and entered the training room to find a group of people watching Pyrrha practice. He walked up to the stage and folded his arms on the edge as a training robot came crashing towards him. Some people shouted for him, but he stopped it with a single hand.

"Working hard Pyrrha?" Strom asked with a smile. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."

"Sure Strom," she answered with her usual practiced smile. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I'll stop beating around the bush. Jaune is worried about you," Strom said giving everyone a look. As they departed from them, Strom turned back to look Pyrrha as seriously as possible. "Look, don't even think about saying that you're fine, because we both know that something is up and only one of us knows what it is. So please, what happened?"

"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked looking at him with curious eyes.

"I believe in destiny, but I choose how my destiny goes, just like you can as well," Strom said with a small smile. "Destiny, Fate, Choices, they're all one in the same. Some people can say that there's no such thing while others believe that it is to give them that push they need. So, do you believe in destiny?"

"I do, but I believe that my destiny may be short," Pyrrha responded with a frown, thinking about the transfer machine. "I don't know what to do about it."

"My elder told me this once," Strom said looking at Pyrrha with a sad smile. ""Destiny and Fate work together with the choices we make. Some are easy, others not so much, but in the end we will all have perfect wings. The choices we make that lead up to our end shall impact those behind us. It's up to you to decide what happens." I also think that isn't everything off of your chest Pyrrha. You said that your destiny may be short, why is that?"

"It's something I can't talk about with anyone," she said looking for an opportunity for escape.

"Is it about the Four Maidens fairy tale?" He asked remembering his talk with Ozpin on that day he discovered more to Beacon tower. "Particularly, the fall maiden?"

"Something like that," she said cautiously. Why would he know that? She didn't want to accidentally reveal to him about underneath Beacon. "What do you think about it?"

"I think that someone is very brave for taking the role of the fall maiden, but also would have to leave someone they love," he said into her ear. "Others will be sad about losing a friend, myself included. In the end it's their choice of what to do. And no one should try to convince you otherwise."

"I-I don't know what to do," she said shuffling around the arena. "I always have let the cards fell where they did, but I can't hand over my cards to someone else and risk losing the game."

"Let me remind you that you have a choice to play that game or take the chance with someone else, either way it's all up to you," he said leaving the arena. "I would suggest talking to someone about this. It's no good to bottle it up inside."

' _In the end, I know that you will make the right choice, as long as you made that choice for yourself,'_ Strom thought to himself as he left to go train with Black and White.

As the day went along Yang was asked questions about what happened by everyone. Teachers, students, Officers and huntsmen and women, even her team and friends had questions for her. She wanted for it to all stop, she wanted everyone to stop feeling sorry for her. What happened had happened and nothing can change it. Every time she hears "you poor thing" she just feel like punching something. Ruby wasn't much of a help with dispersing people away, while Weiss and Blake went off to learn about who that guy was from the military.

"I hope that Strom is having a better time trying to train than I am getting out of these conversations," She said to herself before walking down the hallway.

Strom was training for seven hours straight when he decided to end it for the day. Unfortunately he also had been surrounded by people with questions about what happened. He looked and saw a message from Yang wishing him luck with the training and that the tournament would pick up where it left off soon. He jumped over everyone and walked away like nothing happened at all. People began to gossip with theories and ideas of what happened, but Strom wasn't going to tell them anything. He knew that Yang felt upset about the subject and so did he. He continued to go towards the floating coliseum, and met up with his team. He and Yang sat together ready to watch more matches without any thoughts about her match.

"I hope that Sun will win this match and after this is Pyrrha against Penny," Strom said with a smile as he looked at Sun's opponent, before looking at Yang who was beginning to nod off. "Yang, are you tired? Come on, I'll help you back."

"I swear to tired I'm not Oum," Yang sputtered out before falling asleep on his back as he carried her.

"Where are Blake and Weiss? I thought that they would be here to support others, oh well," he said as he looked at Yang's peaceful slumber while hearing people and their conversations. As he returned to the dorms his scroll buzzed with a message from Ruby about Pyrrha before it turned red with a black queen on the screen. He heard Cinder's voice and immediately panicked about what was going on. "Yang, wake up something is happening!"

"Huh, what?" She sputtered before seeing Penny dismantled with a frightened Pyrrha looking at what she had done. "Penny, Pyrrha? Strom what is going on?"

"I don't know but I sense a lot of Grimm coming," he said shocked by what he sees. "I'll go get Ruby and Weiss, you go find Blake."

"Strom, before you go," she said before bringing him in for a kiss. "Be safe."

"You too," he said as they went different directions.

"Who are you?" an officer said as Neo crashed through the ceiling before being knocked out by the little girl.

"Ah, the fun has started," Aquilo said as he broke his cuffs and destroyed his cell with ice spikes. "Ah so good to be free again and don't worry Roman I haven't forgotten about you."

"If you could break out of here that easily, why did you wait until now to do it?" Roman asked as he watched a giant ice hand destroy the cell. "We could have been a lot better off if you did it before hand."

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" Aquilo asked with a disappointed face before turning around and waved his hand. "Why don't you just gain access to the ship and control the robots. I have a gem to collect."

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. In all throughout his life, Strom had never seen so much grimm coming to one place. This was a living nightmare. The city was crumbling and fires were everywhere, grimm ran through the streets, killing innocents and the White Fang were doing the same thing. He overheard about the evacuation process and helped out everyone he could to get to safety. When he thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. The atlesian robots turned against everyone and began fighting back at the military and Hunters. His fear only grew as he saw the biggest grimm that he had ever seen flying around Beacon tower.

"Isn't it beautiful?" A voice behind him said as he turned around to find its owner, Aquilo. "Although I have been more of an ice sculpture fan personally, but I guess fires, crumbling buildings and lots of bodies will do."

"What do you have to gain out of all of this?" Strom asked looking weary and tired from all the people he had to help. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's just like I said a long time ago Strom," his voice rang cold and venomous. "I will never forgive you for what you have done to Azure and me. I want revenge and to bring back Azure from the grave. The only thing I need now is already inside of you."

"Well then I must inform you of your demise," Strom said pressing a few buttons on his scroll before putting it away. "I'm tired of holding back against everyone. I feel as if everything is made of paper, but let's see how long you ice can handle if I stopped caring."

Their battle began with intense heat and cold winds lashing out into Vale. When one street became frozen, fire quickly melted and when buildings began to catch fire, ice swiftly put out the embers. It would have been a beautiful sight if they weren't trying to kill each other. The streams of ice and fire twisted and waved in patterns that would take ages to recreate.

Yang was rushing through the grounds to find Blake, taking out anything that stood in her way. Grimm, White Fang, falling pieces of rubble and robots, they all went down without much effort. She finished off a White Fang grunt when she saw Blake shout out in pain and saw a man dressed in black with a white mask and a katana. Her eyes turned red with rage as she launched herself at the man.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she shouted before she could try and attack.

He smiled as he swung his weapon at Yang. With a sickening swing that hummed throughout the area. Her arm was severed from the elbow down and was destroyed. She felt no pain since she was knocked out at the same time. Blake panicked when she saw what happened and wanted to get out of there with her. After tricking Adam with her semblance, she ran with Yang's unconscious body. He decided that he would find her later and left the area.

Strom saw it all, he lost focus once he saw what happened to Yang and was punished with a punch to the face.

"What's wrong Strom?" Aquilo asked angered that something else caught his opponent's attention.

"Yang," he said weakly and fell unto his knees. "I wasn't there to protect you, and your arm is… gone."

"Oh, pull yourself together," Aquilo said still upset that he wasn't getting a fight like he wanted, so he decided to press his luck. "Then again, maybe I should take over for you. I will keep her safe and feeling loved. She'll probably resist at first, but once I deflower her, she'll be like putty in my hands. And since she only has one arm it'll be that much easier to overp-OW!"

"SHUT UP!" Strom shouted as he slammed his right arm into Aquilo's face. He removed his band to show his eyes that held anger, pain, and loss. "How dare you to even think about treating her that way. I will make this place your grave."

"There we go, get upset, focus on me," Aquilo said as a locker fell from the sky next to Strom. "OoOOooo, you actually got a weapon now? You're growing up Strom."

He opened the locker and Aquilo's eyes widened with shock when Strom pulled out Ocean's Curse. That surprise soon changed into rage.

"How dare you defile her weapon," Aquilo spat through his teeth and unsheathed his sword. "You don't deserve to even look at her weapon much less wield it. No matter, I'll just pick it up with the gem from your corpse."

Their battle continued from that point, each fighter fighting with full intent to kill the other and fury. The fire grew more intense alongside the ice. Pillars of ice and fire erupted around them as sparks flew when their weapons clashed. When Aquilo was about to inflict a fatal blow towards Strom, fire erupted from the ground in front of him blinding him from the harsh light it gave off. Strom didn't have to worry about that and took this opportunity to his advantage. With a punch he felt his opponent's Aura drop low and a slash across the chest depleted it to nothing as well as cut through the armor and draw some blood.

"GRK!" Aquilo spat as he saw his blood being dripped from Ocean's Curse. He lost control and swung his blade wildly and used his semblance in an attempt to land a blow on Strom. "DIE! Die like how I killed everyone in Aria!"

Ice and snow blew around everywhere furiously. Strom conserved his energy for his strike as he bounced through the maze of ice spikes and walls. He saw a small chance when he saw a cracked wall that lead right to Aquilo. With all of his might and concentration to send all of the heat into his fist, making it shine like the sun, he shattered the wall and got close enough for him to swing and connect deeper into Aquilo's chest.

"Grk, you got me," Aquilo said as he coughed up some blood and fell onto his back. All of his anger and hatred left his body and he could clearly see. "Do you think that I could be forgiven for my sins, Strom?"

"That would be up to those that you've wronged, but I will forgive you when Yang can forgive you," Strom said standing over his former friend with tears in his eyes. "Why would you do this?"

"I did it for her Strom, Azure deserved a chance to live, but I was a fool," he said before coughing again. "I'm so sorry about everything Strom. Aria, Yang, innocent lives and most of all you, I cannot even think about receiving your forgiveness. I also want to thank you Strom."

"Thank me for what?" Strom asked getting closer to the dying man.

"Thank you for letting me free," he said quietly. "I was so blinded by anger, hatred and rage that I wasn't myself anymore. I know that I don't deserve it, but can I ask one thing of you?"

"I really shouldn't, considering what you have done to me and everyone I know," Strom said before his expression softened. "What is it?"

"I would like you to take my weapon and merge it with Ocean's Curse," he said with a twinge of pain and blood running down his chest and through the armor. "That way I can be with Azure."

"I can't guarantee that will happen, but I will see what I can do," he said standing up and grabbed the greatsword. "I wish that we would have been on better terms upon your passing."

"I wish that we were on better terms in general," Aquilo replied before a grave expression came across his face. "Wait Strom I must warn you about-"

As he tried to warn Strom about the upcoming threats that would darken Remnant, an ice spike pierced Aquilo's heart. He spattered out blood and spazzed out and reached out for Strom to make sure that he heard his dying breath.

"Sa-lem," Aquilo said before his grip loosened and the light and life in his eyes faded and his hand slowly fell to the ground. Strom checked for a pulse to confirm what happened. He closed the ice warrior's eyes and made his way towards the airships to find everyone there sad, worried for each other. The saddest sight he saw was Blake holding Yang's hand while holding her side. He looked at their wounds and wanted to know who had done this.

"I saw everything, but I do not know who it was that attacked you," he said looking at Blake with a look and tone he had never given anyone before. "Something tells me that you do, am I correct?"

"Yes, I do," Blake said still in shock about what happened back there. "It was Adam. Adam Taurus is his name."

She was pulled up in a sitting position and then felt a warm hug around her. She still held Yang's hand and used her free arm to hug back with tears in her eyes. Strom's voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you or Yang. If I was there then, maybe things would have turned out differently."

"Where are Jaune and Pyrrha?" Ruby asked before Jaune's voice was heard through her scroll.

"It's Pyrrha, she's gone to the top of the tower to fight her," his voice came out worried. "You have to stop her."

"We're on it Jaune," Ruby said and waved for Weiss and Strom to come with her. When they reached the base of the tower they saw the giant grim land on the tower. "We don't have much time. Weiss can your glyphs reach the top?"

"Yes, but you guys won't have much time, now go," she shouted as she concentrated her semblance to reach the top.

Strom and Ruby rushed to make it to the top. Ruby made it up there first, but Strom made it up in time to see Pyrrha disappear into ashes. He heard Ruby scream and saw her eyes glow silver and shone brightly. He heard Cinder shout in genuine anger and surprise as the light enveloped the top of the tower and dissipated. He saw the grimm freeze in its place, Cinder fall to the ground covering her left eye without a sound to be made and Ruby falling down unconscious.

Strom grabbed Pyrrha's tiara and Ruby to get her to safety. Jaune managed to get back with the others to learn the news from Strom. Tears were shed from those awake and in hearing distance. Jaune fell apart for a while but managed to get himself onto the airship with the tiara in his grasp. Strom saw Blake and Sun run away, not together but Sun had told his team what happened before running after Blake in hopes to support her. Ruby and Yang were under the watch of their Uncle, who looked at them with worry and an empty flask in hand. Weiss was taken by her father to head back to Atlas. Strom briefly met the man, showed his faunus trait and thanked the man for giving his father a job. It took the man by surprise a little alongside with Weiss. However her father just turned around and left without anything and Weiss soon followed after, looking down towards the ground with sad blue eyes.

Strom was offered a ride home, but he instead wrote a letter to his family explaining what he was doing and that he would be fine and that he had something important to do. He asked General Ironwood to take him to Aria's coordinates. Hiding the village was pointless now that it was a ghost town. When they landed Strom took both of his swords and hopped off saying goodbye, thanks and that he would not be leaving anytime soon. The general tried to persuade Strom about coming with him and helping out, but stopped once he saw an entire village frozen with people inside of the ice.

"You can see why I have come here, these people deserve a burial," Strom said starting to use his semblance to melt the ice. "They never saw it coming, the Elders, men, women and a few children. At least they had a peaceful rest before this happened."

"What about your family? I'm certain that they are very worried about you," Ironwood said with a slightly stern look as he watched the ice being melted at a steady rate.

"If you are that concerned about me, I will be here for a week, then I will return home," he said after a long pause of thought. "Whether it is a short flight across Vale or a long journey on foot or boat, I will make it home."

"I'll have a ship come here within a week," Ironwood said as his stern look eased up. "You are a brave fighter Strom. I just hope that you'll be on the front lines with us."

"I think that the front line is the least of our worries right now," he said remembering Aquilo's last breath. "I have a bigger prey that needs to be fried."

"Don't we all?" Ironwood said before turning around to leave. "Well take care of yourself."

Ironwood left in his ship and went on his way back to Atlas. Strom just went back to work on melting the ice and making graves for everyone. As the day went on he managed to melt half of the city and bury the bodies in the graveyard. It was filling up faster than his heart could take. He rushed out into the forest and walked around to clear his mind. He began to meditate and check how the balance was doing.

"Ah, it's good to see you again Gr-Strom, although I wish that it would be better times right now," White said dimly as a sad expression formed on his face. "To be honest, both Black and I feel sad about what happened to you and everyone else. It's the first thing we have been able to feel at the same time in a very long time."

"Yeah, White is right," Black said shifting in a corner. "Are you okay Strom? We've noticed that you haven't been expressing yourself and we just wanted to… Are you crying?"

"I'm sorry that you have to see me being weak right here, but I just still can't grasp on what happened," he said as tears fell from his eyes. "I mean in just one single day everything is gone or changed to a point where it can't be normal anymore. This world is cruel and unfair."

"You're right it is cruel and unfair," White said after a very long pause of Strom sobbing between them. "However it is up to you how you handle it. Will you lie down and give up and let one of us run your life, or are you going to grow from this?"

"I know that I have to grow from this, but right now it is hard to try and make a start," he said staring into the ground before slapping himself as hard as he could. The two watched him taken aback that he would harm himself. "Yes, I don't have time to stay sad for too long. Salem is out there and I need to bring an end to what they have in plan."

"Just give yourself some time to mourn and grief like a normal person," White said concerned. "Black and I can bounce back like that, but you should take some time for yourself."

"I agree," Black said from his corner which now fell down. "Just like the corner I made will pass with given time, so will pain and suffering."

"Yeah, well I'll be back again, but for now I need to get back to work," he said wiping the tears from his eyes. "Thank you, I really need people to talk to."

After he said that Strom had left, leaving Black and White to discuss between themselves.

"He does know that we're not human right?" Black asked slightly concerned on how Strom sees them.

"I think he does, but yet wishes to be on the same level with us," White said with a small smile. "I think that we should be there for him as he has been there for us."

"Pay it forward, I like it," Black said with a grin. He held out his hand for a handshake. "Shall we work together from now on?"

White's smile grew as he accepted the gesture. "That sounds good to me."

"Finally, I'm done," Strom said on the fourth day after melting the last bit of ice on the top of the village, the colored rocks now being able to be seen again. "Just one more thing to do and I think he would appreciate it. Although I said that I would forgive him when Yang forgives him, I just can't help but feel like this is right."

He looked at the grave that he placed next to Azure's. The gravestone held the name of Aquilo Arctic: Lost his way, but now rests in peace. "Sadly, I couldn't get the body recovered. I hope that this will do for you Aquilo and Azure be nice to him, he had it rough after you left and he really needs a friend. Elder Trent, I hope that you can forgive him for his actions that he had done. I will miss all of you guys and this town, but maybe one day I can get it repopulated again and help those in need, but first I have some things that need to be taken care of."

He walked to the dojo and stepped into a room that he thought that he would not enter until the Elders said that it was his time. He looked at every set of clothes that were in the room in detail and care. He began to hesitate about taking the clothes upon the thought of why should he be here right now. He decided to meditate and think about the issue at hand. He entered a garden that where the plants had been severely damaged by the ice, most of which died because of it. He sat in the center and began to meditate.

He found himself in the white and black shifting space that he remembered the last time he saw them. He saw Caden fade into the plane with a small smile.

"Welcome back, and I don't know how you did it but you managed to get the balance faster than I did, but then again I had no idea what to do," he said as Elder Trent came into view.

"Strom, I'm so glad that you're safe," the man said rushing to embrace his student. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that and what happened to Vale."

"Hey don't be forgetting about Yang and the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR," Azure scolded the elder sternly before turning away from Strom. "I'm sorry about Cinder, Strom. I didn't know- huh?"

"It's alright that you didn't know, Azure. No one knew or saw it coming," Strom said pulling the little girl for a hug. "I want to talk to you about her as well, because I do not know if I can protect her now after that."

"I understand," she said quietly before stepping to the side alone. He soon followed her to continue the conversation. "Strom, I would like for you to watch her. If she somehow has a change of heart and wants to right her wrongs, will you still be willing to protect her once more?"

"I would, but right now I see her for who she is," he said without any emotions. "I'll be praying with you though. I do hope she has a change as well."

A small smile crept onto her face as a few tears were released as well. "Thank you."

"So, what is going to happen now to Aria?" Caden asked everyone once the two had returned to the group. "Strom's the only survivor, so what happens?"

"I think that I will try to bring back Aria to those once I have fully grown and have things figured out," Strom said not very certain on what would happen to the village, but he knew that he didn't want to let it be abandoned. "This place has taught me well and allowed me to grow up. The people here taught me to see again and I shall be forever indebted to this place and those who had lived here. Making sure that this village doesn't fade to time is the least I can do."

"You were always one to consider about others before yourself, even when those others are passed away," Trent said with a smile. "But I think that you are ready Strom."

"Ready for what?" he asked curious to what he could be ready for.

"You will become the next Great Elder, Strom," Trent declared with more figures coming into view. "We will train you to be an Elder so that you may go off and spread our teachings. We must do them here since we all feel the strongest connection in the village, but when would you like to start?"

"Would it be possible to start after I write two letters and mail them to where they need to go?" he asked knowing that he needed to do this for the greater good.

"You may," Trent said with a small smile trying to be happy. "And we'll try to keep training as quick as we can. That way you can return home to see your family and Yang."

"Thank you, but I don't think that Yang would want to see me, not after the fact that I wasn't there for her when she woke up or there at all after we parted that day," he said as a frown started to form. "I hope that she can find it in herself to forgive me. Well shall we start tomorrow morning?"

"If you feel well enough, then yes we can," the elder said worried for how life was going to be for the rest of Strom's life. "Just try to take it one step at a time."

"Alright," he said softly, still saddened by what happened. "I'll be back later."

"Take care," Azure said as Strom left to return to his world. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Only time can heal all wounds, but the scars that they leave will determine how he copes with it," Trent said looking at where Strom was last. "Only time will tell."

Strom had written two letters, one for his family and one for Yang. After sealing them he went over to the garden to tend to all the plants that did survive from Aquilo's semblance. Some of the plants were beginning to bear fruit again. That's what Strom always liked about this village, the constant temperature and climate would allow plant life to thrive. He walked over to the lake to see how it took the cold. The lake and its inhabitants were still around and thriving as nothing had happened.

"Well that's good, though you may not like the fact that one person is still hear to eat you, heh heh," he said to the fish he saw before continuing to check the farmland. "Gah, nothing was spared, I'll have to start fresh again."

A few days have passed by since Strom had started his training to become the Great Elder. His progress was slow, but he wasn't about to let that get in his way. He was about to begin training for the day when he heard something outside the village. An airship had landed on the beach and a few Atlas military men exited the airship. They scouted the area trying to find the village before Strom went to meet them.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked knowing why they were here but wanted to confirm.

"Yes we are looking for you Strom Teitsia. General Ironwood said that we are to take you back home," the head officer said with the others standing at his side.

"I really do appreciate it, but I can't go home yet," he said kindly not wanting to cause any issues. "But I do have some mail that I would appreciate being sent over."

"Do we look like mailmen to you?" a soldier rudely asks before receiving a very stern look from the officer.

"We were told to pick you up and take you home. Please come with us since we have taken the time out of our lives to come and get you," the officer said trying to persuade Strom.

"I can't go home yet, I have too much work to do here," he said a little bit more upset but not showing it. "So I'm sorry to have taken your time, but I am not going to be leaving yet."

"Listen here you little brat-," was all a soldier managed to say before he rushed in to being swiftly knocked out with a kick to the jaw.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," Strom bowed to the officer before handing the letters over and turned to walk away. "I don't like to repeat myself over and over again. You have had your stay, now please leave."

"Carry him back to the ship and prepare for takeoff," the officer said as the others done what they were told. "All we found were these letters addressed to his family and Yang Xiao Long."

Strom watched the airship fly off the island from the shade of the trees. As soon as it left his proximity of sight he went back to the village to train.

Darrel was reading a book when he heard a knock at the door. He wheeled himself over to find an Atlas officer with a letter for the family from Strom. He called everyone to the table as they read the letter.

Dear Mom, Dad, Lily, and Boran,

I am writing to you saying that I am sorry that I am making you worry about me. I really want to be home for you all and Yang, but I have something that I need to do first. I hope that you can find it in you to forgive me and my selfishness. You have every right to be upset with me. When I have things finished in Aria, I WILL come home as soon as I can. I love you all so very much.

Lily and Boran, can I ask you two to look out for Yang for me? She has had it very rough lately and she needs support. If she hasn't read my letter, send her my regards and well wishes. Thank you.

Love Strom,

After reading the letter everyone had tears in their eyes. They were sad that he wouldn't be home for who knows how long. They hugged it out and prayed that Strom would be safe through all of this.

Yang had walked out to get the mail when she saw the Atlas officer walk up with a letter in hand.

"For you Ms. Xiao Long, from Strom Teitsia," he said before turning around and walked away.

She frowned when he left, unhappy that Strom wrote her a letter instead of being here. She placed the mail on the table and held the letter in her hand. Taiyang came in to check the mail when he saw the name of the letter that Yang was holding.

"A letter for you, who is it from?" he asked looking over her shoulders. He could clearly read the name but he wanted her reaction.

"It's from Strom," she said and slapped the letter down on the table in a fit of rage. "Because apparently coming to see your one armed girlfriend, who was very worried about him, is too embarrassing and unimportant to do!"

She threw the letter away in the trash and took the bag out to the cans outside. Taiyang watched it all happen with a sad look. He thought about why the letter was sent. After dinner Yang went to bed trying to push past another day of her now normal life. Taiyang looked outside where the cans would be and went out there to retrieve the letter. When he found it, it was in pristine condition, he reached in and grabbed the letter and decided that Yang might come to regret throwing it away one day and have it for her just in case. He stepped inside and grabbed some more food to eat.

Yang sat under her covers looking at her bandages with tears again. She then closed them and thought about everything that happened before the fall of Beacon and Vale. She remembered what her mother said.

'Don't come crying to me should he leave you!'

She brought her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. "Mom was right."

"Strom did leave me,"

 **Well, that's it… Volume 3 has come to a close for Fighting Fury. I hate to leave stories on a sad note but, a little voice inside said that this was right, you're doing fine.**

 **Anyways I hope you all have enjoyed this and I will see you all on Christmas for a Christmas special.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	24. Christmas Special

**Hello and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy holidays… I think I got that right. Any ways I hope that you all are having a happy holiday with festivities and carols alongside happy feelings for everyone. And if you're not having the best of days, well, I wish you the best of luck and I hope that your day gets better. Anyways I hope that you all will enjoy this Christmas special of good feels.**

 **Christmas with the Teitsia's**

T'was the night before Christmas, the plate of cookies were light,

A trail of petals and crumbs, Ruby was the mouse that night.

"RUBY THOSE WERE MY SNICKERDOODLES FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE!" Strom shouted loudly as he gave chase to his leader with cheeks full of fresh baked cookies down the halls of Beacon Academy.

"I can't help it they're SOOOO good," she cried out stuffing her face with another four cookies. Seeing the cookies disappear into her caused Strom to literally catch fire and sped up greatly. "EEK, I'M SORRY, BUT I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF."

Strom gave up the chase once Ruby used her semblance to get out of her situation in a snap. With a growl he returned to the kitchen where Yang just finished making more cookie dough to bake. He smiled when he saw her with her hair tied behind her head as she mixed the dough with her hands. He saw a little flour on her left cheek when he was walking up to her.

"Thank you for helping me again," he said as he prepped the baking sheets and the cinnamon sugar. "I can't believe Ruby took three dozen cookies. She had better save room for dinner."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Yang said as she began to roll the cookie dough into balls and got them covered in cinnamon sugar. "Anyways, silly question, but are you excited to see your family for Christmas?"

"Absolutely, but I'm a little worried that there may not be enough room at the table for both teams, my family, your dad and uncle," he said listing off all of those who would be attending for Christmas day. "I do know that this will definitely be the most people we will ever have in the house. I can't wait for everyone to meet each other."

"Oh there you guys are," Jaune said walking through the door with a cookie in his hand that was half eaten. "First off, these cookies are fantastic, and secondly, do you think I should bring my guitar?"

"I don't see why not, but wait how did you get a cookie?" Strom asked curious to how Jaune would respond.

"Oh, this? Ruby has been handing these out to people saying Merry Christmas and that Strom made them," he replied before finishing the cookie that was given to him and started to leave. "They are really good, and I will bring my guitar then."

"Well at least we know that she will eat her dinner now," Yang whispered into Strom's ear as she finished placing a dozen balls onto the baking sheet before Strom placed it into the oven for ten minutes. "Well, since she's sharing them, do you think that we should let this pass?"

"It is a time of sharing and giving, so I suppose that I can let this go," Strom said after Yang gave her puppy eyes to him. He smirked when he looked at the flour on her face. "You got flour on your face."

"Oh yeah?" she responded with a little thought that popped into her head. "Well you got lips on yours."

"What, where do I have lips-MMH!" was all he said before she cut him off with a kiss on the lips. His brain felt cloud nine for a few moments, and all the while Yang was laughing at his blush. "Okay, you got me on that one."

"I did~" she replied in a happy tone before continuing to roll more cookie dough with a hum. They continued to work with smiles on their faces.

After they had finished baking the cookies and getting them in a safe place, they prepared to go over to Strom's home for Christmas tomorrow. The teams wouldn't need much to bring besides the cookies. They had asked a pilot very nicely to be able to take them over to Patch and back on Christmas day a week in advanced. He agreed for an extra amount for his troubles. The night went by slow for everyone due to their excitement.

Everyone woke up early for the day as they packed up what they needed and left Beacon with smiles on their faces. Everyone dressed up warm, except for Strom. He used his semblance to stay warm. He would get looks from others when they saw him but he paid them no mind. When they reached the airship, they thanked the pilot again for his time and gave him some cookies which Ruby had to be held back from taking. The ride was a little shorter than what they had been used to, but they were happy, except for Jaune. He spent the entire time throwing up in a trash can with Pyrrha being there to support him.

Once they had landed and got off the airship, Ruby and Yang called their dad and uncle to wish them a merry Christmas and that they couldn't wait to see them. Everyone called home to wish their loved ones a merry Christmas after they saw Ruby and Yang. Once they arrived at the house they saw something strange. Darrel was on the roof with lights in his hands.

"Dad, what are you doing on the roof?" Strom asked concerned about how his father got up there.

"Hey, in my defense, this was your mother's idea," he replied with a snicker when Mona heard what he said.

"OH DON'T YOU DARE think about pinning this on me," she shouted through a window. "You begged to get on the roof this year."

"And I appreciate it," he said with a big smile as he finished setting up the lights. "All right Strom, plug her up."

When he did plug in the cord the house lit up with white lights and colored lights too. Mona managed to get Darrel off the roof through the window on the second floor. Boran and Lily ran out when they heard voices outside the house to find that their brother had returned again.

"Strom, Merry Christmas," they both cheered as Boran flung himself to be caught by Strom. Lily just ran up to hug his side.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he said holding them both tightly. "Let's head inside and talk for a little bit."

"We made cinnamon rolls with icing," Mona said with a grin as she watched her kids, Nora and Ruby run inside with excited smiles on their faces. "It's so good to see you all again and some for the first time."

"We thank you for allowing us to come over," Ren said politely with a bow.

"We really do appreciate your offer," Pyrrha added with her trademark smile.

"Oh, it's no big deal. I'm just happy that Strom gave us a heads up before you all showed up," she said with a smile. "Let's get inside before they eat all the rolls."

"Good idea," Weiss said heading in first followed by Ren.

"Not really good to let Nora have too much sweets," Jaune said hoping to put food down into his empty stomach.

Once everyone had gotten inside and had a cinnamon roll, they began to talk about how everyone was doing in Beacon and learn more about Strom's family. They all would admit that they didn't know much about how his family viewed Strom and his choice to become a Hunter.

"So, how did you react when Strom said that he was going to become a Hunter?" Blake asked taking a sip of the hot chocolate that Darrel made.

"I was proud of my boy, Mona became even more frightened about his life after the 'incident'," Darrel said remembering how she acted before bursting into laughter. "She swore that she would make all the Grimm extinct if they got one scratch on him."

"I still mean it," she said with a stern look. "The only thing stopping me is experience and family."

"What about you two?" Weiss asked the younger siblings.

"We called him a hero," Lily said as Boran nodded his head with his cheeks full of hot chocolate.

"Oh, I want to know how Strom was when you two first met him," Nora said excited since they clearly appreciate their older brother.

"Ah, well… we had a rough start actually," Boran said shyly as Lily looked down. "Mom and Dad we're not happy with our act until we really got to know Strom, so I guess that it's story time."

[Four Years ago]

[Location: Teitsia household]

"Hey mom, can we go to the arcade today?" Boran asked excited to try and earn more tickets for a new scroll.

"Not today Boran because today your brother is coming home today," Mona said with a very big grin and eyes wide with excitement. "Aren't you excited?"

"Uh yeah, maybe we could go together to the arcade with Lily to get to know each other better?"

"Maybe next time Boran. Strom wants to spend the day with everyone," she said as she relaxed and left for work. "I have to go, but he should be here soon, so make sure to wake up dad when he gets here, I'm certain that he will want to see him."

"Okay," Boran said with a fake smile, upset that he would have to wait later to try at the arcade. When Lily came down, Boran informed her about what was happening.

"Oh no, I'm not letting anyone take my position of being the oldest," she said with pride. "He is just going to have to accept the fact that I am the oldest."

"Isn't he older than you though?" the seven year old Boran asked thinking about it.

"Shush, I am nine and he will deal with that," she said as her pride was clouding her mind. "Now when he gets here we'll tell him how we really felt since he wasn't here to be with everyone. He should feel bad for not taking care of us and making Mom and Dad sad."

"Your right," Boran agreed not putting any thought about why Strom wasn't around. "He's the bad guy."

"That's right and how do we treat the bad guys?" she asked making sure that she had him fully convinced.

"We are not nice to them as they were mean to us," Boran declared boldly though kept his voice quiet.

Two hours have passed since they had been told that Strom would be coming home, two hours they waited and hardened their anger towards him. A knock on the door was made clear as they rushed to see who it was. They saw a teen wearing a red band with gray hair and wore a gray hoodie with what looked like a white towel and a gray scarf around his neck.

"Go get dad, I'll tell this stranger off," Lily said as Boran ran to wake up their dad. She opened the door with a deadpan expression. "Hello?"

"Oh, is this the Teitsia household?" the stranger asked with a smile.

"Yes, can I ask who you are and why you're here?" she asked not trusting of what she saw.

"STROM'S HERE!" Darrel shouted as he made his way down the stairs faster than anyone had seen him move. He rushed to meet him outside with a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again after so long."

"It's good to see you too dad," Strom said giving his dad a tight hug. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Please come in, Strom, you know that this is home," Darrel said being supported as they walked over to his wheelchair. "How long are you going to be with us?"

About a week then I have to head back to the village," Strom said looking at his two siblings. "Let's see, you are Lily and you are Boran."

"You are correct," Lily said with a fake smile and happy tone as she nudged Boran. "He knows us Boran. Isn't that nice?"

"Yeah, but isn't that how big brothers are supposed to be?" Boran asked in honest curiosity.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't around for a long time to watch you all grow up or be there for you all," their older brother said looking at the ground in shame. "I hope that you can forgive me."

"Strom, just as we said a long time ago, it's fine," Darrel said with a tired smile. "We just wished that you had more of a childhood before the 'incident' happened."

"What's the incident?" Boran asked curiously making Lily put her head in her hands.

"I don't think that you should hear that story yet, Boran," Strom said placing his hand on Boran's head, who quickly shook it off. "Oh, sorry."

' _This is our older brother, he's pathetic,'_ Lily thought to herself belittling Strom. _'He's apologetic even when he did nothing wrong. He is very skinny and looks like dad could shatter his bones by looking at him.'_

"Hey Strom, do you think that you would like to head to the arcade with us tomorrow?" Boran asked really keen on his prize target.

"Wow, you really want to earn that scroll, don't you Boran," Darrel said with a grin.

"What kind of a scroll is it?" Strom asked thinking about the scrolls he reads back at the village.

"Only the latest model that they have for anyone who can earn forty-thousand tickets," Boran said proudly. "I have already earned thirty-seven-thousand and am confident enough that I can get the rest on the next time I go to the arcade."

"Model? I thought you wanted a scroll that you held like this," Strom said with a smile as he mimicked holding a scroll in front of him. "So how big is this scroll?"

"It's the same size as every other scroll," Lily said with disbelief to what she was hearing. "Where did you grow up, under a rock?"

"Well, the village is inside of a mountain so I guess that it would count as a rock," Strom said piecing the thought in his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Everyone knows and uses a scroll for communicating, games, reading, connecting to the web, and a lot of things that are cool," Lily said getting upset and asserted her dominance. "Why don't you know this simple thing?"

"Lily, that's enough," Darrel shouted upset with her behavior. "Apologize to Strom, right now!"

"Dad, it's alright, she's just having a hard time learning about me and getting used to me being here," Strom said with a patient smile as Lily ran to her room. "Boran is probably just as confused and scared about this."

"What do you know?" he asked causing Strom to laugh a little.

"I do know a little about martial arts and how to fight," Strom said causing a slight interest to Boran.

"Like those kung-fu guys in the movies?" he asked slowly seeing his brother in a different light.

"Yeah like them," Strom replied mocking some punches and sounds. "Boran can I talk to dad alone for a little bit?"

"Oh, sure," he said as he headed upstairs to check on Lily.

Two days have passed since his return home and Strom was very happy to see everyone doing well. Lily was still upset with how little Strom knew about the world and thought that it was hopeless for him to ever be normal. Boran was taking interest in martial arts, but Lily soon managed to get her brother convinced that Strom was not welcome here. After dinner, Boran was able to go to the arcade and play for the scroll. He brought all of his tickets with him and was happy to be alive. Five minutes later he came home for Lily asking for help with tears in his eyes. She quickly left to see what was wrong, Strom overheard and rushed to follow them.

When Lily got to the arcade she learned why Boran was crying, a bully stole his hard earned tickets. She demanded that they would be returned to him but the bully and most of his friends only laughed at her.

"Go home you eight year old freak," he called out hurting her feelings. "Or do you want to wager something like your idiot friend here?"

"Fine, I'll bet forty lien on my game of choice. If I win you return the tickets and if I lose you keep the money too," she said in anger and did not clearly think the situation through.

Strom watched as Lily played well on her game of piano tiles but she wasn't playing good enough as she kept on making mistakes. In the end the guy's score was higher than hers. He and most of his friends laughed at her when she lost. The only one who wasn't laughing was a girl who looked at the bully with disappointment. Lily was looking to cry as she felt the world fall on top of her and couldn't bear to look at Boran. She began to run away before a hand caught her and pulled her close.

"It's okay," Strom said calmly and rubbed her back. "I'll fix everything right now."

"Oh wow it's a family of freaks," the teen said and shrugged. "I don't know what is going on but my luck keeps getting better and better. What do you think you can offer that will make me want it?"

"I will offer four hundred lien and my life as your servant," Strom said calmly and with a smile.

"Wow, that sounds great, let's begin," the teen said rubbing his hands together. "So what game do you want to challenge me in?"

"Your choice," Strom replied calmly making the others murmur with each other.

"My choice eh?" he said while looking around the center and focused on a punching machine and back at his frail looking opponent. "We'll have a punch off at that machine."

They all moved over to the machine as the teen went first and scored a new score. "Woo, six hundred even, best score yet."

"Boran, come here. It's time for your first lesson," Strom said as his brother came over. "There is a secret to punching. The ground already has the power of the punch ready for you, but you need to know how to get that power in order to use it."

"Can you spare us your nerd talk and lose already?" one of the teens friends said in a rude tone.

"Watch carefully now," Strom said as he felt that power move through him as he delivered that punch to the machine. The numbers scrolled up past nine hundred and brought shock to everyone there. "It would seem that I have won."

"Lucky shot, how about a game that takes real skill?" he said unhappy with the results.

"No fair, he won fair in square," Lily said behind Strom who placed a hand on her head.

"That will be fine," he said calmly. "It's still your choice."

"Fine, we will play where I am the best at," he said as he showed the game. "We will play Guitar Duels!"

"Alright how do you play?" He asked receiving a dirty look from the teen.

"What are you, stupid?" he asked before his frustration grew. "You hit the buttons and strum the controller as you see the colors. Of course, it helps what you actually 'SEE' the game."

' _We're doomed. He doesn't even know what a scroll is, how can we expect him to win against something he can't see?'_ Lily thought to herself as they made their way over to the game. "Strom, you don't have to do this, we can-"

"I do have to do this," he said as he knelt before his sister. "After all, it the least I can do after being gone for so long."

They picked up the controllers to begin the game. Strom felt the controller to find the buttons and the part to strum. Most of the guys laughed at the sight except for the teen. He was upset that his challenger didn't even know how to play. They began the game with a fierce determination from both sides. The song that the teen chose had the highest difficulty.

"Prepare to serve me for the rest of your life," he asked with a dangerous smile to his face. A face of anger and rage twisted. However he wasn't expecting the cold response from Strom.

"Don't count your Grimm kills until you finished the day," the cold tone was harsh for everyone to hear. His siblings took a step back from what they saw.

The game began with the teen still caught off guard and in shock by what he just heard, when he noticed the noise of the game he was off to a bad start and tried his hardest to catch up to Strom. When the teen's friends saw this weakness they began to boo and jeer at the teen. The only girl was quiet but shyly tried to cheer the teen on. When the others heard this they just left after calling the teen names. The teen just stopped playing and fell onto his knees, he had a look of despair and sadness on his face since his 'friends' just left him. No, they never wanted to be friends in the first place. They just hung around for his wealth from bets that he won.

"I'll return the tickets and money," he said refusing to look at anyone.

"I'm sorry that most of your friends were never really true friends," Strom said sitting on the floor next to the teen.

"Most, what are you talking about?" the teen asked before turning around to find the one girl still standing there, shifting awkwardly back and forth. "Why are you still here?"

"It's… well I… I have been a little bit more interested in you. I wanted to know if you would go out with me?" she stammered as she asked but she knew that he wouldn't be very interested in her.

"I don't think that it would work between us, I don't feel as if I deserve you," the teen said before Strom slapped him on the back, firmly.

"Oh, don't be that way," Strom said with a grin. "She put up with you and your acquaintances enough for me to get the idea that she is seriously interested in you. So, I think that you should at least give her a chance to see how far it can go."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I have treated you like crap and you have just been patient with me. Why?" the teen asked being pulled onto his feet.

"It's because I'd rather have everyone live to see the light at the end of the tunnel than to be left afraid to take another step in the dark," Strom said knowing how it felt to be in the dark. "I am physically blind, but yet I have learned to see again. So I hope that you can learn how to view friendships and more."

"And more," the teen repeated looking back at the girl, who felt a little bit more confident in herself seeing that she was closer to him now. "Thank you for being honest with your feelings, I accept."

"Thank you. It makes me so happy to know that you're giving me a chance," she said before turning to Strom. "And thank you for helping him out, I didn't have any idea of how I would have approached this."

"No problem, but hey just help him keep on track on the straight and narrow," he told her with a bright smile before turning to the teen again. "And you shouldn't make any more bets, because I guarantee that the next time you feel like this it won't be because of a little money and pride. Now, go and spend some time together you love birds."

Strom smiled as he watched the two leave with hands held together and smiles on both of them. Boran and Lily were shocked to what they have just watched. Strom looked at them with a smile, forty lien, and a bag full of tickets. They slowly walked up to him, past his held out arms with the money and tickets and hugged him for their first time. He felt warm and happy as he brought his arms around both of them, returning the hug.

"We don't deserve you for the way we treated you," Lily said sobbing into his shirt. "We should be grounded for life."

"I think that I don't deserve to have you guys as my family since I had to leave for most of your lives so far," Strom said with his band getting wet with tears. "Can you both ever forgive me?"

"We should be the ones to say that," Boran exclaimed hugging tighter now. "I think I know how to set things right."

"How is that?" Strom asked curiously as he rubbed his eyes.

"We all play together at the arcade before heading home," he said with a small smile. "You are good at the games Strom."

"Then let's all play as a family then," Lily said with a smile. "And we can watch Boran win the scroll."

"Let's do this," Boran said determined to win and happy again. He rushed to play the games that he was good at with Strom and Lily in hand.

They cheered him on as he earned enough tickets for the scroll. When they left Boran had the scroll prize and the biggest smile he ever had on his face. When they returned home, both of the parents heard the story from Lily and Boran. They looked at each other to decide what to do for a punishment, before Boran stepped up.

"Actually I wanted to keep this for myself at first, but now I want Strom to have this scroll and learn how to use it before he leaves," He said with a big smile and handed the box over to his brother.

"Boran, I can't accept this. You worked so hard to get it," Strom said handing the box back.

"Strom, I want you to have it," he said pushing the box into Strom's hands. "I have no need for it, but you, you are strong and can fight grim and become a hunter."

"A hunter," Strom repeated before looking at his parents. "Would you two be fine with that?"

"We want you to be safe, but if that is what you want to do then we'll support you," Mona said tears filling her eyes at the thought of him fighting Grimm. "You would need a scroll to communicate with others. So this may be a good thing that happened today."

"Well, I guess since everyone is getting along now that we can skip a punishment this time, so you're off with a warning," Darrel said with a small smile as he crossed his arms. "So did you both learn something today?"

"Yes, I learned that Strom is a really, REALLY awesome brother," Lily said with Boran giving a big smile as he nodded his head.

[Present day]

"After that we only grew to love each other more," Lily said hugging her brothers. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That was a touching story to hear," Jaune said before remembering a little detail. "Oh, what happened to the guy and the girl who got together?"

"They are still together to this day," Lily said with a smile. "They have only gotten closer to each other since that day and enjoy every second of it."

"That's good to hear," Strom said heating up another cup of hot chocolate. "It's good to know that they're still together."

"Yeah and I hope that you and Yang will be together for the rest of your lives," Ruby said causing Strom to blush with a smile on his face.

"Well, it's been fun chatting with you all, but I need to get started on Christmas dinner for everyone," Mona said as she moved everyone from the kitchen.

"Would you like some help Mrs. Teitsia?" Ren asked knowing that he would appreciate the chance to make something other than pancakes.

"Please," she practically begged for help at the door. Everyone gave her a weird look as she put on a smile. "Oh, that would be appreciated."

"I could use some extra practice to cook," Weiss said making Mona smile wider.

"Awe, you're too kind," she said letting them both into the kitchen. "Let's get started then."

As the three headed into the kitchen to make dinner for everyone, the rest were happily talking amongst each other. They laughed with each other as they made jokes and told stories about things that happened in their life. Ruby and Nora would play some board games with Boran and Lily. Yang sat happily next to Strom, holding hands and looking sleepy next to each other, but they managed to stay awake to stay in the conversation. Jaune was in the middle of a story about his sisters when a knock was heard at the door.

"I'll get it," Strom said getting up and being followed by Yang.

"I'll come join you as well," she said with a smile as she had a very good idea of who might be at the door.

"Hello," Taiyang said with a beaming smile once the door opened with Qrow behind him. "Nice decorations."

"Ah thanks, somehow dad managed to get on the roof this year," Strom said rubbing the back of his head. "Please, do come inside. It wouldn't be good to get a cold now."

"So, let's see who else is here," Qrow said, smirking a little knowing that Ruby would be here as well. Upon entering the living room, Ruby saw who it was and rushed to hug and greet her dad and uncle.

"Hi, dad, hi uncle Qrow," She said with a happy face and sparkling silver eyes. "Did you both miss us?"

"Hmmm," they both said, stroking their chins to insinuate the idea of them having to think about it when they locked eyes together for a brief moment before smiling and returning to Ruby. "Nope/Yep."

Their confusion to why they said the opposite answer of each other caused Ruby to burst out giggling. Everyone else laughed lightly at the sight of the men looking at the other with a slight glare, but they soon began laughing as well. They joined in on the story telling and jokes that slowly started to become worse for children ears. When Mona overheard the first one, she stepped out and gave the men an earful and reminded that she still had children here. They all became quiet with fear, while Darrel laughed nervously after promising to keep it appropriate from now on. Everyone continued with their stories when Yang and Ruby became a little curious about Strom's stories.

"Hey Strom, what is your favorite story?" Ruby asked lying on floor next to Boran and Lily since Nora left to be with Ren for a little while.

"My favorite story," he said thinking about all the stories he has heard before coming to which one he liked the best. "Well I'll tell this story about how a man met the love of his life, because that one is my favorite."

"Oh please do continue," Lily and Boran both nearly begged for their brother to tell the story.

"Alright, alright settle down," Strom said happy for their eagerness. "Let's begin now."

 _Once upon a time a man was walking home on a cold day with groceries in his hands. As he tried to open the door to his house an apple fell out of the bag and rolled away. He set down the groceries to go pick up the apple, but before he picked up the apple, a homeless woman quickly snatched the apple, looked at the man and took a bite out of the apple._

"But isn't that stealing?" Boran asked interrupting the story causing Strom to look at him with a slight frown.

"Yes it is, so do not steal from anyone, ever," Strom said quickly to return to his story. "Please do not interrupt me again."

 _The man looked at the homeless woman who was eating his apple. To others, she would be considered a pest or a rat, but to him, she was beautiful and quickly caught his attention. He smiled patiently and took off his jacket and gave it to her, for she was wearing very little to keep warm. He offered her a warm meal and a place to rest for the night. He cooked a warm meal for them both to enjoy, after that they both went to sleep in the same room. The man let her take the bed and he set up a spot for himself on the floor with a smile._

 _At first it was supposed to be one day, but one day turned into two then three and so on. She was beginning to warm up to the man as time went on. She found work and a source of income to call her own because of him. The days went by and her appreciation and feeling grew stronger for the man who had helped her. Whenever he would take her out they had a great time together and make new memories. She frowned when she recalled how they first met and how cold she was towards him. On her way back to his house she bought him a gift. When she gave him the gift and watched him open it with a smile. He pulled out and apple and was confused about the apple, but she made sure that her feeling were known as she pulled him in for a kiss._

"I hate to interrupt, but where can I use the bathroom?" Jaune asked causing a vein to show on Strom's head but quickly went away.

"Down the hall first door on the right," he said as Jaune quickly left. He stood up to get a drink of water. "I might as well take advantage of the break. And so should everyone else."

Everyone went about their business, whether it was either the bathroom or cookies or something to drink. Once everyone had gotten together again Strom continued his story.

 _As time went by, they grew closer as a couple. They strolled on the beach, they carved pumpkins together and wore them like hats, and they enjoyed making snowmen and having snowball fights. The first time she tried to cook dinner and burned it, he stubbornly ate it with a smile. When they would sleep they shared the bed together. Then one day a letter came for the man during Christmas time. The letter requested for the man to go along with a team of hunters to go and destroy a great threat to the kingdom. He accepted since he swore allegiance to the king._

 _The man and woman met before he had to leave on the airship to go hunt the beast. She cried knowing that she may lose the love of her life to such a creature. He sighed and smiled as he pulled out a small box from behind him and gave it to her and left for the journey before she could open it, but she knew what was inside of the box._

 _The man had a perilous journey ahead of him. He fought against grimm of many numbers and sizes with the group he was sent with. From near ancient grimm thought to be extinct to Beowolves that would take an army to fight off. They finally found the creature that they were searching to destroy. They were all tired and exhausted from all the fighting and running. The Grimm Dragon roared with anger and breathed upon the group a mighty flame that would have wiped out a village easily, but they managed to stand their ground and begin their counter attack. Just when the dragon seemed to be dead, the man and the rest of the group stepped in closer to make certain that it was dead. Suddenly, the dragon lunged and snapped at the man. He lost his grip of his weapon as blood spattered everywhere and he fell. Everyone struck at once and the dragon died. They then turned towards the fallen man and tried their best to help._

 _The woman bought a plant that would bloom when her true love came for her. She waited at the station all day after she bought the plant. The morning soon changed to the afternoon, then evening. Snow began to fall as she picked up the plant and headed back home. She placed the plant on the table and rested her head on the table as well. Sleep soon took over her exhausted body. She dreamed about him and living with him. When she woke up and looked at the flower with surprise. It was blooming beautifully. She rushed outside to look and find that her lover was walking home with a bag of groceries in his hand. Her tears began to well up in her eyes, but these were not tears of sadness, no, these were tears of joy, relief, and happiness. She ran to him and cried in his arms begging for him to stay safe. He smiled as he walked with her back home and asked for the box that he gave her._

 _When the box was given back to him he knelt onto one knee and opened the box to find a ring. His proposal was met with more tears, a smile, and a tight hug. They married to a long and happy life. The end._

As Strom finished up he actually saw some tears coming from Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ruby, his parents, Boran and Lily, and a few tears fell onto his shirt from Yang. He wiped the streaks from her eyes gently and pulled her in for a hug as a single tear fell from his eyes. That tear was caught with his band covering his eyes.

"Well, *sniff* I think that I'll go check up on dinner to see how it's going," Mona said heading into the kitchen.

"That was quite the story," Ren said with a small smile on his face. "Thank you for taking the time to share it with us."

"I thank you all for listening to the story," Strom said holding Yang's hands. "I'll be happy to share it again anytime."

"What were their names?" Boran asked after calming down from crying. "Did they have names?"

"Of course they had names, however I think that it would be best for everyone here to give them their own names," he replied to his brother with a smile.

"I'll name the man Strom and the woman Yang," Boran said as he looked at the both of them turn red. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just that it's getting a little hot in here," Yang said not wanting to admit her embarrassment.

Ruby looked outside with a bright idea. "Why don't we have a snowball fight?"

"But there's no snow," Lily said sad that there wasn't even the faintest hint of a snowflake outside.

"I can fix that," Weiss said with a slightly smug face as she stepped outside and made a huge glyph over the house. She quickly ran inside before eight inches of snow fell like a blanket over the house. "There we go fresh snow."

"Oh boy," Ruby said before she was out the door, beginning to make a fort. Everyone else that wanted to participate soon bundled up and went outside for a snow war.

Once preparations were done and made the war began. There were four teams: JNPR, RWBY with Strom, the Teitsias, and the Old Men.

"We are not old!" both Qrow and Taiyang hollered at the same time. "Prepare for war."

The snowballs flew alongside laughter and joy. Ruby and Yang ganged up on their dad and uncle with glee while Blake and Weiss were trying to fend off from JNPR's attack. Strom faced against his family alone and worried. He ducked to completely avoid the volley of snowballs coming his way.

As the war continued the teams slowly were out of the war. Mona and Darrel were out first due to their worry for dinner. The Old Men were quickly put down since they were the biggest threat on the field. Slowly, others began to leave the battle for getting out. Nora eliminated herself and Ren alongside Ruby and Blake. Lily lasted longer than Jaune, but was then eliminated by Pyrrha. Weiss and Boran tried to battle Pyrrha for dominance, but they were both taken out. Strom and Yang began to make a lot of snowballs for their final battle. They leapt up only to receive snowballs in their faces, thrown by Pyrrha. However she didn't leave unscathed as there was snow on her stomach from the ball that Yang threw. In the end everyone had fun and laughed at the sight of how Strom used his semblance to melt the snow on his face.

They all entered back into the house to warm up and enjoy each other's company. As dinner reached closer to being complete Ren and Weiss rejoined Mona in putting the final touches for dinner. When the time for everyone to enjoy dinner came, they all gave their thanks to those who worked hard on dinner before they began to eat. Strom was about to take his first bite when he saw something. A new Aura color he did not remember.

"Strom is something wrong?" his mother asked worried about him not eating.

"Oh, I'm fine just something caught my attention," Strom said before the person got closer to the house. He stood up quickly to go and confront the person. "I'll be back quickly."

He was quick to put on his shoes before heading out to meet the person. "Can I help you ma'am?"

"OH," She was genuinely surprised that she was found so quickly. "I take it that my presence isn't welcome here?"

"Well, that would depend on your intentions," he said with a small smile, hoping that her intentions were good. "So, I ask again, can I help you?"

"I just wanted to check up on some things here, but I see that everyone is doing well," She said as her gaze fixed onto Yang and he knew it. "I shouldn't interfere on a nice evening like this. It would be troublesome for everyone."

"How do you know that for a fact?" he asked wanting to learn more about the person in front of him.

"Well, I may have made some choices that they don't agree with me on, and to be honest, I see it as a mistake," she said with a sad tone to her voice.

He took the time to truly look at the woman before him. She had black hair that looked a lot like Yang's but not nearly as well treated. She had red eyes that would cut someone up should they anger her. Blood red armor was what she wore and shined a little. She strongly resembled Yang… almost as if…

"A- Are you Yang's mother?" Strom asked knowing that there was a risk in asking such a question.

"Biologically, yes, mother of the year, not so much," she said somberly looking down with guilt. "I left her when she was born with her father that you already know. I looked back on the years and my choices that I have made. I thought that I was right, but there's a voice in my head that just won't stop bothering me. It goes away when I see them, but as soon as I leave, there it is again."

He looked at the woman who was feeling guilty and regret, but she didn't see it as that. "Have you considered about talking to them?"

"And what good would that do for me?" she snapped back coldly. "Do you honestly think that after all of this time, I can just pop back into their lives like that?"

"I think that you are frightened about being hated," he said calmly and with a patient smile. "However, I want to thank you."

"Thank me for what?" she asked scowling slightly, expecting some sarcastic comment or something her brother would say.

"I want to thank you for bringing Yang into this world," he said hugging the woman to her surprise. "I know that it may not be fixed in a single day, but if you don't take the first step, you will never feel better or at peace. I hope that you will be able to take that first step on your own, but asking for help is always a better thing to do."

"What? Why ask for help when you can do it on your own?" she asked after he released her from the embrace.

"Because it is the true first step to healing and peace," he said with a smile.

Silence grew between them as snow started to fall. She started to turn away when her stomach growled against her will. Strom began to snicker before laughing lightly.

"I think you can take that first step with a meal, how about it?" he asked hoping that his offer would entice her.

"I-I don't know," she said before the door opened with Qrow stepping out.

"Hey kid when are you- Raven, what brings you here?" he asked his sister who just froze up a little as people slowly made their way out to see what was going on.

"Did you say Raven?" Taiyang asked before rushing out to find her standing with her back towards them.

"Mom?" Yang asked making sure that it was her.

Silence grew more before Raven made a portal for her to step through, but before she could leave Ruby grabbed her arm.

"Do you think that you could stay a while? I know that everyone is worried about you," she said hoping that Raven wouldn't leave.

"I don't know," she said collapsing to the ground. "I don't think that I deserve the chance to be together with them. Not after all of my choices that I made."

"Raven," Qrow said stepping closer to her before placing a hand on her back. "I think that you should spend some time with us. Even if your choices may have not been the most ideal, you're still family."

"I think that we all could use some time to talk about things and how things are," Taiyang said a little upset but not wanting to ruin the holiday. "So how about we talk about it after dinner?"

"I would like that actually and have some time with you as well," Yang said quietly. "So please don't go."

"I think that I can stay then," Raven said with a single tear falling from her eye. "So what's for dinner?"

Everyone reconvened at the tables made to make sure that there was a spot for everyone. Raven was a little nervous at first with meeting everyone, but was soon showed kindness in return. Mona was happy to have another mother to talk to, even when learning about her choices she was patient with her. Taiyang and Yang discussed with Raven about what happened after they had dinner, but nothing went out of hand. It turns out that they were both very worried about her. As the night began to come closer, Strom found himself on the front porch with a mug of hot chocolate that went cold a long time ago. He was looking into the sky that he still could not see when Yang stepped out and joined him.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as she nuzzled up to him. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"More than likely, but I don't think that they can compare to your radiance," he said looking into her eyes. "Want some hot chocolate?"

"But isn't your mug cold and oh right semblance," she replied as she saw the steam began to rise from the glass. "You know, one time the rest of the team used me a fire to roast marshmallows."

"That sounds like it could have backfired on them immensely if it got in your hair," he said thinking about the idea of Yang playing a video game as the rest of the team bugged her enough to get mad.

"Oh they are so lucky that it didn't!" she said with an angry tone as her eyes changed to red. "The melted sticky marshmallow would have been a mess to clean up and would have made me more upset and probably burned it to my hair which then I would get even more upset and then I would have-MMH?!"

Strom interrupted her rant with a kiss on the lips. He watched the red slowly turn back to the lovely lilac eyes. When he broke up the kiss he said with a smile, "You're a little cute when you're mad, but I think you're just as cute when you're happy as well."

"You just know what to say to make me feel better, don't you?" she said and pulled Strom into a hug. "Merry Christmas Strom."

"Merry Christmas Yang," he said returning the hug before Weiss's voice caused a disturbance.

"Strom, Ruby is getting into the cookies again," she shouted causing him to get upset.

"RUBY, YOU BETTER NOT BE EATING ALL OF THEM!"

"I CAN'T HELP IT THEY'RE GOOOOOOOOOOD!"

Both Strom and Yang entered to put a halt on Ruby's cookie spree and managed to trap her in her cape again. The night came to end the day as everyone slept in the living room. Strom woke up briefly to see Raven was still around and with a smile on her face. He fell asleep with good dreams about the future and Yang. And all had a good night.

 **Well I hope you-**

WAIT! You only had me say one line! How could you? I was made for entertainment!

 **Ehhhh sorry Nora, but I just can't-**

I mean come on, how hard is it for me to get at least more interaction. Ren has more lines than me and I'm the talkative one.

 **Look I get it. How-**

Nora, what are you doing?

Ren, can you believe this guy?

What are you talking about Nora?

Oh, I forgot only I can break it…

Break what?

Nothing, come on let's get some rest.

Okay then, rest well.

… **It's always the crazy ones you have to look out for alongside the quiet ones. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and I will see you in next week's chapter. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays. I need some eggnog to sleep this off.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	25. Chapter 22

**Welcome back to another Chapter of Fighting Fury. The next few chapters will be happening before the events of Volume 4. So I hope that you all will find enjoyment through these chapters… even through what I have in store for the next few chapters.**

Chapter 22: Searing Nightmares

"I can't believe that it has been two months already and the progress I have made is slowly picking up speed," Strom said panting from training. "They certainly know how to push anyone to their limit, but I have to push past that limit in front of me."

He remembered what the elders told him for his training. He was to find his limits and then break those limits to new possibilities. Every day he kept on pushing himself to his limits and was barely pushing past those limits. He certainly has gotten even faster and more nimble as well as stronger and more patient with meditation. He began to see things that he did not think were possible. His sight has grown sharp enough to see everything in detail without giving up range of sight if he chose to do so. He felt his aura grow stronger through all the training. Deep down he wanted to leave and go out into the world again, but he knew that he was not ready yet.

Something had been bothering Strom after the fall of Beacon, well a lot of things were bothering him, but the one thing that nagged on him was his semblance. He managed to get blue flames to appear, but after his fight with Aquilo at the tournament his flames reverted back to red. He remembered the breach of Vale after he and his team stopped Torchwick. He imitated the events as he remembered, but when he unleashed his flames they were red and didn't change at all. He frowned at the sight before ending his training for the day to complete his daily routine. He tended to the farmlands and caught a fish for dinner. Before turning in for the night he meditated.

"Working hard there Strom?" Elder Trent lightly teased the boy knowing well that he was working harder than he had ever done before. He saw the look on Strom's face and became a little concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, I have been thinking about what happened to me after that day," Strom said as he thought about what happened on the day of the fall. "And about everything that happened that day. I lost my blue flames and I'm trying to figure out why. I also worry about everyone as well."

"I understand your concern for everyone Strom," the elder said sitting down next to him. "And I don't see things getting easier anytime soon, but just remember that you have people to help and support you through these times and you have to support them as well."

"Is it wrong to want to seek revenge against someone after they hurt someone you love?" he asked knowing that it is wrong to do so.

"It is not right to seek out revenge, but I do understand that it is not easy to turn the other cheek when someone you care for is harmed," the man said with a worried face. "You shouldn't seek the one out for revenge. Should your paths cross, pass him by and show that you are the better man."

"And if I can't?" Strom asked worried about how he would react to meeting Adam after all of these years.

"You won't, because when you have completed your training, you will be able to overcome that urge," the Elder said, grabbing Strom's shoulders and shook him lightly. "You will meet again and you will prevail over that feeling. Should he force you to fight, then fight, but do not be the one to start the battle. Now go and get some rest you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right," Storm said before leaving to go to bed. "Maybe I'm thinking about it too much, but I shouldn't forget about it completely. This is not going to be easy for me, is it?"

The next two months flew by as he continued training with the guidance from the elders. He learned from them and grew up more mentally and emotionally as the time went on. He found some blue ribbons from a house that he used to tie both of the weapons that he had together and sealing them shut. He sealed them shut because he wanted to focus on unarmed combat and no longer wanted to rely on weapons to fight. He was in the middle of meditating when Trent came to talk to him.

"You have certainly grown Strom," He said with a smile and saw the hair. "Your hair has grown longer. Do you plan to cut it soon?"

"No, I think that I like it growing out," he said with a slight smile. "How is your day going so far?"

"I am doing well, but I think that we have something important to discuss," he said sitting down next to Strom as he had done two months ago. "We think that you are ready to take the position."

"I feel as though I am not ready or the position, but I will step up to accept the responsibility anyway," Strom said with a smile knowing that he would have to take responsibility and get the village populated again with people who are willing to move. "I guess that means that I will have to change my appearance now."

"Well you don't have to but it is up to you what happens now, Great Elder Strom," Trent said as they stood up. "You took on all of our tasks and challenges and overcame them. Now go out into the world and find those who are willing to join the village. You are the last Arian, for now that is. We have faith in that you will do well, even if it takes a long time for progress."

"I won't let you down Elder Trent," Strom said giving him a hug.

"I will always be proud of you, my student," he replied and returned the embrace. "It's time to leave Strom. Good Luck."

When he opened his eyes he was in front of the room that he entered four months ago. He stepped inside again to look around one last time before he left.

"It's time for a change to occur, but I will miss this sarong," he said looking down at the cloth that served him well for his fashion taste. He set aside his scarf, band and shirt to the side and walked around in his compression shorts. He searched for a while to find something that he would like, even considered about an orange martial arts uniform, but continued to look around until he saw a yellow sleeveless jacket with a hood. "Hmm, I think I found my first piece, now to complete it."

He chose a red long sleeved shirt and gray baggy pants along with a white sash to tie it together. He performed a few kicks and punches to see how the movement of his new outfit would hold and see if he needed to change anything. After a while he smiled, pleased with how his every movement was not being held back by his apparel. When he wore the hood up, he saw the black inner lining to the jacket as the hood can cover half of his face and the collar was able to hide his neck and the last bit of his scar from Roman Torchwick. He picked up some wool socks and a pair of red boots and looked back at his old outfit, lying on the floor. He picked up the band and saw how faded and dirty it was at the ends.

"Time to find a new one," he said as he folded the band and put his clothes in a bag. "I'll see what I can get for food before I leave and then decide on where to go first."

He picked some fruit and the last loaf of bread that he made and he took a fishing line and a frying pan and put them in the bag he carried everything in. He walked through the village and remembered some of the many memories that were made in the now empty village. He took one last look over his shoulder to see the village getting smaller as he entered the caves. A single tear fell to the ground before he pulled up his hood and continued to walk to his next destination, wherever it may be.

"Three weeks since I have seen the last small town, luckily they were able to let me work my debt off for staying there. And this new band is holding up very nicely," he said as he continued his travels across Vale as he held the new red band with yellow sunflowers at the ends. He held the necklace that he was given to from Yang. "I think that she might be very angry with me, but I hope that she can forgive me for not being there for her. I should go home and apologize to her and my family."

He began to see a town come into his view and got a little excited to see what would be in store for him until he saw the fires and heard the screams of terror. He rushed in to see what was going on and as he reached closer he saw them, Grimm. He didn't see any bodies yet, so he rushed to help everyone. A Beowolf got too close to him and suffered a blow to the jaw that removed its head. He saw a woman running away with her kids from an Ursa she turned around to see the Grimm combust into flames.

"Thank you," she said grateful that her kids were safe.

"It's not over yet, so stick with me. It will be safer than running into the woods," Strom said counting the Grimm in the area. "Only thirty more, what happened before this?"

"We were threatened by bandits," the woman said keeping her kids close to her. "Everyone gave them everything they had before they set the town on fire. Then the Grimm attacked."

"Well at least no one is hurt so far," he said seeing that some of the people were fighting and killing some Grimm. He knelt down and placed both hands onto the ground "But it's time to end this now."

"What are you going to do?" one of the children asked before pillars of fire erupted from the ground where Grimm stood, killing them on the spot due to the ferocity of the flames.

"That is all the Grimm, shall we check up on everyone now?" Strom asked with a smile.

Mostly everyone was confused about the pillars of fire and how the Grimm died, but they were happy that everyone was well and that the fires were put out. Strom stayed around for a little bit and helped clean up the town to the best he can. He helped them start a new farm and taught them how to make new fishing poles and spears. The light of the sun was fading away when he shared his meal with the town. A collection of berries and caught fish made everyone feel a little better. He made sure to let them know about more towns and villages in the area should they be attacked again. No more Grimm came through the night since everyone was feeling quite well and looking forward for tomorrow.

When he woke up and got ready to leave, he was met by the woman that he helped out during the Grimm attack alongside her kids and her husband. They managed to give him a basket of bread, which he gave the basket back to be kind, but took one loaf to show that he appreciates their help. He wanted to stay longer, but he knew about the threat Salem. When the town was out of his range of sight he began to talk to himself.

"I don't know who you are Salem, but I do know that I will not rest until I know that you will no longer be a threat to Remnant," he said clenching his fist and fire shot out a few inches from it. "I just need more information to know what I am dealing with here."

His journey continued as he came across a port that would take him to Patch. He was given odd and worried looks from people that he walked by and soon he was being confronted by the captain asking about his appearance. Strom took off his new band to show his scar to him and then placed it back on, talking about how he came to lose his sight long ago. The captain apologized for being rude, but Strom just laughed it off saying that it was fine. The real problem began when some people noticed that he was a Faunus. Prejudice people started to harass him as he meditated, but he showed them no emotion or any interest in conflict.

"You fish freak, look at what happened to Vale! Those animals in the White Fang, brought death and destruction to the main city," a man cried out as the circle started to grow bigger and soon everyone was hearing about it. "Don't you have any idea what happened?!"

"Yes, I do know what happened, I was there at Beacon when it happened," Strom answered calmly remembering every detail. "I was there fighting the White Fang and the Grimm, trying to protect the city, in the end I still feel like I have failed. People died, the city and Beacon were destroyed, and my love has lost her arm during the fight."

"Oh wow what a sob story," a woman said with a scowl on her face. "Just like a faunus to lie to us. As if we're that ignorant to-"

"GRIMM ATTACK! EVERYONE HEAD INTO THE SHIP!" the captain commanded everyone to try and keep them safe. "ALL HANDS, PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

Strom quickly saw the dragon like grimm and jumped over the crown and yelled at them. "Get inside now. This won't take long."

The Grimm spread its wings and flew around the ship, scaring more people to run inside. The captain and some of the crew were shooting at the grimm to get it out of the air. The guns that the crew used were no good against the tough scales of the flying beast. The crew's only chance at damaging the beast was to hit it with the mounted main cannon. The cannon took aim at the grimm, but the beast was able to dodge the shots with ease.

"Load another shot!" the captain commanded to panicking crewmen.

"That was our last shot, sir!" they replied to him. He began to fear for the worst as he turned on the intercom.

"All hands head inside and pray the ship still holds," he said when he saw a flash of yellow run to the front. "And someone get him!"

Crewmen tried to grab Strom and bring him into safety, but he nimbly moved out of reach with ease and activated his semblance in his hand. The heat was too intense for the crew and they backed off watching the Grimm and Strom. The creature roared loudly and intimidated the crew to run inside the ship, but Strom took a step forward with his concentrated fire growing stronger by the second. The beast flew high into the air then dived down to break the ship and reap its efforts. Strom widened his stance and held his hand up and waited for the grimm to get close enough that it couldn't dodge. When the grimm saw him smile it tried to move in a different direction, but it was falling too fast. Strom released the fire and incinerated the beast into dust and the force was great enough to start pushing the bow of the ship deeper into the water. When he saw that the grimm was no more he let the fire fade away into the sky.

"Wow, I didn't think that you were packing that much of a wallop," the captain said as he shook hand with him. "What is your name?

"Strom Teitsia sir," he replied politely with a smile. "I'm happy that no one was harmed throughout the whole thing."

"I'm glad that we had you on board for this, we ran out of shells for the cannon," the captain said before realizing something. "Wait, you're Strom, as in the one who that crazy ice person wanted to fight and he had that Yang girl as a hostage?"

"Yes, that's me," he replied as he left feeling slightly uncomfortable about being remembered by that fight. People began to come outside to relax from what happened. They thanked the captain for keeping everyone safe, but he just pointed to Strom who was now sitting at the bow of the ship with his legs over the ledge.

"That is the one who we should thank. He blasted the grimm into dust when we ran out of rounds to use," the captain said as people turned their heads to view Strom and the sea.

The people who were ridiculing Strom for his heritage just left without much thanks as they brought their kids and families with them. Others made sure to thank the one who saved their lives and futures before leaving. Strom wasn't paying any real attention to it because all he could think about was Yang and how he thought she felt about everything. His thoughts were interrupted when a young girl tugged on his shirt as she held her teddy.

"Thank you for keeping me and mommy safe," she said in a shy voice. "We are going to see daddy when we get to Patch. Can you promise me that we will get there safely?"

He smiled at her innocence and her bravery as he held out his pinky for her. "I pinky promise you that you and your mom will get to see your dad safely."

"Okay, thank you Strong," she said accepting the pinky promise before running back to her mom with a smile that showed that she was already over the incident for now.

"It's Strom," he said quietly with a smile, knowing that she just misheard his name. He headed towards the room he was given for the ride to patch to sleep.

"How is her voice coming along?" A woman's voice said calmly yet held a lot of power to it.

"Cinder is trying her hardest but the girl did leave a good mark," Emerald said trying her best to stay calm in her presence.

"Is that so?" the voice said before folding her hands over each other and spoke. "And what happened to Aquillo?"

"He died along with Roman," Mercury said steeling himself for what he would say next. "He was defeated by Strom Teitsia."

"And how do you know this Strom so well?" she asked and Cinder herself took a gulp not ready for how she would take the news.

"She wouldn't tell us," he said looking at Cinder who was beginning to sweat. "I'm certain that she had her reasons."

Cinder spoke incredibly quiet into emeralds ear and widened her eyes upon hearing what she heard. "She says that Strom was able to show her something that she thought she lost forever and that she felt strongly for him. Since he was able to show her sister, she wanted to bring her back to life."

"Is that so?" the woman asked in a low voice before looking at Cinder. "It is possible to bring her back to life, but we would need a certain stone first. Aquilo knew where the stone was before he passed."

When Cinder remembered what he said before the fall of Vale happened she stood straight up in shock and surprised the others there. She yanked Emerald to listen to what she said. "Strom has the gem. She is certain of that."

"That is certainly good to hear," she said resting both of her hands on her lap. "We need to learn where he is and how we can bring him over? Where do we know that he could be?"

"We don't know," Emerald said after leaning in towards Cinder and watched the woman stood up clearly upset.

"Then I do hope that everyone listens well right now," she spoke in a harsh tone that shook everyone to their core. "Should you find this person while we are conducting our plan, do not engage in battle. That stone has given him more power than he realizes and if he learns about it then you are all dead. Even now he is watching us. This meeting is over."

Strom woke from this nightmare and realized that he didn't get a good look at everyone only Cinder, Mercury and Emerald. _'What in the world just happened? It felt way too real to be just a dream. Perhaps either Black or White know what that was about, but right now I need to get some sleep.'_

He went back to sleep through the night with hopes of a better dream. He wished to sleep off after fighting the grimm, but he was returned to another nightmare of that day.

He was in Vale where the city was burning and buildings were crumbling. He saw a flash of yellow in the corner of his eyes and began to follow it. When he turned corners he could only catch a glimpse of who he was following. He knew that he was following Yang, but when he ran as fast as he could she was just around another corner. He kept on running after her, hoping to find out where she is going. She finally stopped in front of the cafeteria looking at Blake and another person fight. Strom caught up standing behind her and saw the two as well, but he saw Blake and a red aura silhouette. Yang charged at the red silhouette when Strom put all the pieces together to what is happening.

"YANG NO!" he cried out as he watched her arm get severed again and fall to the ground unmoving.

He felt that anger flow through him as he charged towards the red aura which he knew the owner's name, Adam Taurus. Strom was within range when everything went black and the next thing he saw was Yang standing in front of him with her back facing him. He walked up to her when she turned around with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes to look at him, they were red, cold, and lifeless. Her voice cut through him with her few words.

"You weren't there for me Strom," her words haunted through his mind echoing over and over getting louder with each echo as he watched her turn and walk away. He tried to chase her to apologize, but the distance between them grew larger. His dream ended with a sound of a sword swinging so fast that it could cut air.

He woke up sweating and adrenalin going through his body. He reached to grab his bottle of water and knocked it over. After picking it up and taking a drink he slowly began to calm down and took deep breaths. After thinking about it he brought up his legs to his chest and began to cry.

"I wish that I was there Yang," he said in between sobs. "Things could have turned out differently then."

Morning came as Strom got up from the bed after sleeping again form the nightmares. He watched Patch come into view with a small smile, but that smile soon faded and was replaced with a slight frown. He knew what he had to do to hopefully help make things better. He was nervous but he knew that he couldn't run away now. It was time to face his family and Yang.

He thanked the captain for the ride when he left the ship along with others who were exiting. He saw the little girl with the teddy bear and her mother in front of him. He smiled and thought about having a little girl of his own with Yang, but that soon burned out in front of him when he remembered that he has to confront Yang. He walked through the town and saw how the town just didn't seem to change with all the times. He began to head home, walking on the path that he mapped out in his head. He saw his house and only his mom and dad inside.

"Hehe, Lily and Boran are probably playing somewhere or are at school," he said to himself as he came to the door and hesitated to knock on the door.

"Coming," he heard his mother's muffled voice come from behind the door. She opened the door to find her son who had went away after the fall of Beacon. "Strom, oh it is you. I'm so happy that you are safe and home now."

"I'm glad to be home now as well," he said as he saw his dad rushed to the door as fast as he could. "Hi dad."

"Oh my Oum, I'm so glad that you're safe. What happened? We tried to ask anyone and everyone about it, but all we get in response is that Vale has fallen," his father spoke worried and concerned about everything. "Even Taiyang wouldn't talk to us for a while when Ruby left-"

"What? Ruby left, why?" Strom asked worried about his team leader.

"We don't know, and apparently something happened to Yang as well," his mother said in a sad tone. "We haven't been able to see her but Lily and Boran have visited her every day since Ruby left. We asked them what happened and all they would say is that it is not in their right to tell us. Do you know what happened, Strom? We're very worried about the both of you, worried about all of your friends."

"I think that we should take this inside and I'll tell you everything I know," he said as they all went inside and closed the door. They sat down at the dinner table as he told them everything that he knew happened. He passed over some parts of information, like some of his nightmares, but he told them everything without trying to sugarcoat it. His parents were silent but listened to every word that came out and when he finished they just hugged him.

"I'm so sorry about the village Strom. I'm certain that we can help rebuild it," his dad said as they all were in a group hug. "When do you plan to start?"

"I don't think that I should worry about that right now because I have a new threat and some people that I need to help," Strom said when the door opened.

"We're ho- STROM YOU'RE BACK!" Boran said running in front of Lily piling onto his brother. "Now we will not let him go until you talk to Yang and help fix this."

"It's good to see you too Boran and Lily," he said underneath his younger brother. "Don't worry I wanted to talk to Yang as well."

"Good, because she isn't doing well, and you not being here for the time is not helping either of you," Lily said a little tired of being an outlet to Yang. "So we're going to go visit her again and bring you with us. However I think that we should listen to what you have to say before we come to judgment."

"Well, I guess that I will have to tell the story again, once Boran gets off of me," Strom said hoping that he could spare his siblings from hearing it although Yang may have told her what she knew and experienced. "Sit down because I have months of travel to talk about."

He told him what he saw and thought about everything that happened and how he managed to get back home. They both listened, curious to how the world is outside of Patch and Vale's main city. When he came to an end they both nodded to each other in agreement.

"Rest up tonight, tomorrow we will all go to visit Yang," Lily said as she looked towards their parents. "Can you come over as well, or are you busy?"

"No, we both have work, but we really would like to come with you all to see Yang," Darrel said sad that he wouldn't be able to wish Yang to get well. "I'm happy that you are home now."

"I have to say this now, but I'm not going to be here for long," Strom said making everyone go silent. "I need to go out and make this world a better place and-"

"No, you will stay home and be safe with us," Boran said coldly as an eerie aura came off of him as he used his semblance. "You have gone out and risked your life too much now. You will not go. My semblance will keep you here frozen with fear."

"It's not your decision to make Boran," Strom said on an even colder tone as he watched his little brother freeze with fear instead of what he had planned. "Right now, I am being hunted for something that I have and I don't want anyone to be harmed because of it, but more importantly, they brought me into this fight and I damn well will see it through until one of us falls. I'm sorry but that is going to be final."

Strom left the table to go walk outside and Lily followed to hopefully talk to him as she watched her parents try to comfort Boran who was crying, not wanting to lose his brother.

"Wait up Strom," she said catching up to her brother and stood in front of him. "You know he only wants to see you safe."

"Yes, I do and I know that everyone wants me to be safe, but if you saw the things that I saw, you would be making the same choice as me," he said really hoping that she wouldn't try to stop him. "Please don't try to stop me, I don't like being cold or threatening to my family."

"I'm not, but I will ask that why did you hide the dreams about the group?" she asked as her eyes began to glow lightly. "My semblance is Insight, while Boran's is Fear's Gaze. That is how I learned about those dreams."

"I always knew that the two of you were a great team," he said as he ruffled her hair. "It looks like I can't hide anything from you now, or that anyone can hide anything from you, that's actually scary."

"Yes, but I only use it for finding out the truth, and to get a complete understanding for what happened in the person's eyes," she said rubbing her arm as she looked away in shame. "I have seen everything you have experienced Strom. I hope that you can forgive me."

"I do forgive the both of you, but I really will have to leave again," he said kneeling to reach her short height and gave her a hug. "I want the world to be a safe place for the both of you to grow up and live peacefully."

"I know, but you can't just risk your own life for everyone Strom, people will take advantage of that," she said worried about the world. "No one wants to lose you Strom, not even Yang."

"What? I thought Yang is furious with me," he said confused about Yang's feelings.

"Oh, don't worry, she is," she said confirming his fears a little. "But she is worried sick as well, so I don't know how she will react, but I will support both of you just like everyone else will, hopefully."

"What do you mean by that?" Strom asked wondering what she meant before realizing it. "Oh, Mr. Xiao Long…"

"Yeah, he's trying to be supportive of you but it's kind of hard to do that when you just disappear like without any notice or reasons like you did for us."

"Wait I sent a letter to her, did she not get it?" he asked a little upset that she may or may not have gotten it.

"I don't know she said that she threw it away when she got it and then-" she started to say before Strom lost it.

"She threw away a letter that said everything I wanted to say without reading it?!" He said furiously as he began to heat up as he started to walk towards Yang's house.

"Hold on before you make a mistake," Lily said stepping in front of him. "Tai took out the letter before and damage was done and is holding onto it for her to read once she is ready for it. So she can still read it but try to understand that she was very upset at the time."

"Well, at least she has it, but I still am a little upset about that she threw it away," he said cooling off and stopped walking. "Right now I just want to talk to her."

"Okay let's wait on that so that Boran can calm down from what you did, and maybe eat as a family for once," Lily said with her arms crossed. "I think that even though you may be wanted by some people that you can survive one day here."

He sighed as he knew that he was being paranoid and turned around. "You're right, and I don't want to live in fear, but I will be leaving tomorrow since I have people to look for. Team RWBY needs to get back together."

"I know that, but you spent how long of your life outside the house?" she asked as they walked back to the house.

"It has been a long time," he said thinking about all the time that has passed between them. "One day can't hurt."

They walked back and the brothers made up to each other. As they all had dinner for the first time in a long time and they felt like a complete family. Strom was thinking about why Ruby left her home. Was she being threatened? No, Yang and Taiyang love her too much to even think about doing that. Where would she even go? He had no idea on how to answer these questions, but he did know who might. He would ask tomorrow about it when he met with Yang. He was still worried how she would react with his sudden out of nowhere return. When the time for rest came he did and his string of nightmares came with it as well.

The morning came again as Strom was already up, sweating from the same nightmare that has been haunting him. A quick breakfast later Boran grabbed the weapons and showed them to Strom.

"Are these your weapons?" he asked curious about the two handles that were wrapped with blue ribbons.

"They are both mine," he said not wanting to explain how he got them. "Well, it's about time now that I go meet Yang before I leave."

"Okay we'll come with you," Lily said as their parent had already left for work.

They left to go visit the house in the woods. They walked through the town and managed to find the little girl again with her mom and dad. He smiled again as the thought returned to him and yang with a kid or two of their own, before it was replaced with Yang's cold lifeless eyes. Her words repeated in his head pounding his skull with each syllable.

 _You weren't there for me…_

The words echoed in his head throughout the walk over to the cabin. Boran and lily were taking in the scenery while Strom continued to walk normally. They arrived at the house and Strom's nervousness grew with each step taken. They reached the doorsteps when Strom wanted to back out.

"You know this isn't such a great idea, how about we go for ice cream instead?" he said very quickly before turning around to walk away when four hands grabbed both of his shoulders.

"Not a chance Strom," Boran said sternly as he held Strom in place while Lily knocked on the door. Strom froze on the spot as he slowly turned his head when the door opened to find Yang smiling at the two before noticing Strom.

"Hi Yang," he said very timidly and shyly.

Her eyes closed before opening with red eyes filled with anger and betrayal. "You have a lot to explain Strom."

 **Well, this is turning to be pretty tense… in my opinion at least. And I realized something. I made a HUGE mistake, but I will cover that mistake in the next chapter, hopefully. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think of it. Wait I'm missing something…. OH, Happy new year everyone, let's all make it a better year than the last.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	26. Chapter 23

**Welcome to another chapter of Fighting Fury, where the author makes mistakes that he can't see. Thank you Jack Redhawke for pointing out that mistake and I apologize for not even replying. How technology has made me dumber these days. This chapter should be able to explain clearly about what you found in the chapters before. Anyways I hope that you all can come to enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 23: Burning Confrontations

"You have a lot to explain Strom," Yang said as she glared at Strom with red eyes with her left hand on her hip.

"I know I do and I can't even begin on how I can make it up to you for not being there for you during all of this," he said looking at her eyes, taking off his band to show that his eyes were tearing up but at the same time serious. "I will answer anything you want to the best of my ability."

"That's a start," she said before looking at Lily. "Lily and Boran could Strom and I have some time to ourselves while we discuss about this?"

"That's fine I was going to go home anyways, because I have to practice," Boran said leaving the house to go home.

"I can, but if I see thing start going wrong I will intervene," she said determined to make sure that no one would get hurt.

"Oh, is Lily here, Yang?" Taiyang asked inside the house overhearing everything but playing it off. "She can come inside."

"Thank you," Yang said and let Lily pass to talk to Taiyang. Her face went back to looking at Strom coldly. "Let's go talk at the bench."

"Okay," he responded and followed her. "I missed you Yang."

"Please Strom. This is already hard enough for me, so don't try anything," she said annoyed at him. They say down on opposite side of the bench and she began her first question. "Where have you been all of this time?"

"I went to Aria to find what Aquilo had done to the place. When I got there, the entire place was covered in ice and completely frozen, along with the people there," he said remembering the sight. "No one survived. After a few days I thawed out the village and wrote letters to you and my family. I explained everything to you about what happened and how I felt about what happened. Did you ever get it?"

She felt guilt crawling up her back when he asked that question. She was in silence thinking on what she should tell him, but then remembered that if he was going to be honest with her then she would be honest as well. "I threw it away in a fit of rage. I never even opened it."

"Oh, okay," he said even though he already knew but hearing it from her just made his heart feel pain. "Well, after I sent the letters, I began my training to become the Great Elder and have completed it faster than anyone had ever done. I left the village to return to patch to visit my family and you. I saved a village, killed Grimm, and helped people along the way before I made it onto a ship going here. I came here to check on how everyone was doing before I left."

"Wait, you're leaving, why?" she asked standing up from shock.

"I'm leaving to fight my battles that someone else has started," he said not wanting to tell Yang the real reason.

"So you looking to get back at that guy from the tournament then?" she asked as she sat down again.

"Oh, about him," Strom began to say as he told Yang what happened. "After we separated at Beacon, I found out that he broke out of prison with Roman and after a long clash of swords and semblances I came out the victor. We began to talk again as friends before he died from his own semblance. He warned me about something, but I can't recall it right now."

"Oh, well I guess that I can't get him back for what he did to me," she said a little bit sad that Aquilo died before catching a detail in his story. "Wait friends? Since when were the two of you friends and why have you never told us about him?"

"When Azure died he blamed me for her death. Slowly we became more distant of each other as we fought. He was determined to find a way to bring her back, even went as far as going through the forbidden scrolls to find a way. I caught him in the middle of it a few years ago and he has then been banished from the town," he said remembering the details. "The reason I haven't told you about him is because I didn't want to. I didn't want to remember the words he spoke to me when he was banished and I didn't want to even think of him as a former friend. So I just pulled him out of the picture entirely, but I guess that I should have seen his return coming to haunt me."

"Do I want to know what he said?" she asked not really wanting to know. "Never mind, we need to talk more about why you're leaving."

"Right," he responded hoping that she wouldn't say it.

"Are you going out to look for the guy who did this to me?" she asked the question he didn't want to hear as she gestured towards her severed arm. "Please answer honestly."

"Yes, I wanted to meet Adam Taurus to see if he had forgiven himself for what he did to me, but then I saw what happened and I couldn't come to forgive him for what he did to you," he said letting his feelings of anger come to be known. "I want him to get the justice that he deserves now. Not because of what he did to me, he opened a door for me, but he closed a door as well."

"And I think that you see that he closed a door for me as well," she said turning away from Strom looking at her arm that was injured. "I can never be normal again."

"No, you can always be normal Yang," he said reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Normal is a definition given by society to make themselves feel connected. When in reality we all have something that makes us stand out from one another as individuals. Just as you have lost your arm, I have lost my sight and have learned to adapt and learn from it. You will be able to do so as well with given time."

"That's easy for you to say," she mumbled quietly before getting upset. "Can one of your elders teach me how to regenerate a new arm? Can aura heal something that has been absolutely destroyed or find a way around the issue?"

"Yang I-" he began to say before her eyes went red.

"No, it's over Strom," she said standing up, breathing heavily. "Even with a prosthetic, I can never be able to heal from this, but it's not what I wanted to talk about with you!"

"Yang, I know that you are angry about it and the fact that I wasn't around to help you is unacceptable and I want to help make it up to you," he said when Yang turned around to get it over with.

"No, Strom, you can't help me, not when I have one last thing to say," she said looking at him with red teary eyes. "I'm breaking up with you."

"What why?" he asked not wanting for things to end this way. His voice wavering with mixed emotions.

"Because, things would be better this way," she said turning around not wanting to look at him. "When you left, it hurt me too much Strom, and I can't go through that again."

"I," he tried to say reaching out to her before dropping his hand and stood up. "Fine, I won't put you through that pain again, and maybe this is for the better since I am leaving Patch anyways. Goodbye Yang."

After he said that Yang went inside and went to her room to cry as Strom called to Lily to go home with her. Lily talked to Taiyang about the whole thing with him due to her better hearing, but didn't say anything to Strom. She looked at the two when it happened and knew that they had been hiding their true feeling for each other. She quickly whispered into Taiyang's ear before leaving with her brother.

"Yang loves Strom, but thinks that he would be better with someone who wouldn't hold him back. Strom loves Yang, but doesn't want her to be in the crossfire again now that he knows that he will be hunted down," she said and left her address on a sheet of paper. "Tell Yang that she can talk to me and Boran about it, we don't hold anything against her."

He nodded as she ran to go home with Strom. They were completely silent to each other all the way back to their home. As they reached the front door he quietly said before turning the handle. "Please don't tell Yang that I am being hunted down, I don't want her to worry about me."

"Fine," she said simply, angered that the two broke up. "Boran we're back!"

"Welcome back," he said as Strom walked past him looking gloomy. He leaned in to Lily's ear. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, but now we just have to be there for Strom," she said as Strom walked out the door.

"I'm leaving, tell mom and dad that I love them," he said as he closed the door and ran away as fast as he could, leaving the house out of sight.

"I'm sorry that we can't be together Yang," Strom said as he ran towards the docks to catch a boat leaving Patch. His eyes cried at the memories he had made with her. He boarded onto the ship and left to go to the main city. When the captain heard of this, he looked at him strangely, but agreed to let him off there after what he did yesterday.

Strom entered the same cabin he used the first time and began cleaning his weapons there. He didn't like what happened, but he thought that this would be better in the long run. Yang would be safe and he could fight off without causing her to worry. He tried to be happy but just broke down and cried, not even leaving his cabin once.

"Yang, are you okay?" Tai asked outside the door of Yang's room. "Okay stupid question, I know but I'm worried about you since you have been in there all day."

"Dad, I don't want to talk about it," he heard her voice from behind the door.

"Yang, I just want to know what is bothering you," he said calmly, trying to soothe his daughter. "And maybe talking about it might help the both of us."

"Like you would know what I'm going through," she said before remembering that her dad had two of his lovers leave him, one of which by passing away. "Okay, dumb comment, but I don't know if talking about it would help."

"Well keeping it all bottled up won't help, trust me you have even seen what happens," he said remembering a time when he broke down. "So want to talk about it over some s'mores?"

He stood their quietly waiting for a response before hearing footsteps and a door opened with Yang looking a little hungry. "That might help things a little."

' _Rule one of helping women; it always pays to talk while eating sweets, especially chocolate.'_ He thought to himself as he brought out the supplied to make s'mores. Yang was able to make hers without too much help from her dad. He only helped by breaking off the crackers and chocolate. After a few burnt marshmallows and laughs between them, Taiyang decided to ask again. "So what is bothering you Yang?"

"Well, I broke up with Strom today," she said sadly, looking into the stars. "He deserves someone who is complete and won't hold him back."

"Yang, you are not a liability, you will not hold anyone back because of what happened," he said looking very serious and slightly upset. "I will not let you berate yourself like that, okay?"

"Okay," she said looking ashamed of herself before he began to tickle her sides. "Dad no, AHAHA hahahaha please stop gahahahaha!"

"Not until you say that it," he said laughing as he continued her punishment.

"Say aha what? PFFTSHSSahahaha," she cried out hoping to make it end before she passes out.

"Say that you can't hold anyone back because of what happened," he said smiling as she continued.

"Okay I hehee can't hold anyone back because of this," she said quickly as she was finally relieved of her assault from her dad. She was on the ground on her side still slightly laughing before sitting up again when she calmed down. "Thanks dad, I appreciate the boost."

"Anything for my daughters," he said looking into the sky hoping that Ruby was safe. He pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to her. "Lily said that she and Boran are not mad at you for what happened."

"Really, did she say that or are you trying to make me feel less guilty?" she asked looking over the address number. "It will be a little hard to go now, but maybe I can stop by tomorrow."

"I think that they would appreciate that," he said placing two marshmallows on a stick getting them ready to be toasted. "Ready for another round of s'mores?"

"That sounds good," she said placing the soft treat between crackers and a piece of chocolate. "Do you think that I made a mistake?"

"Honestly yes," he answered her before showing a grin. "I can't think of anyone else who has ever genuinely laughed at your puns."

"Rude," she said with a smile and punched him in the shoulder. "Do you think that we could get back together?"

He was a little quiet as he thought about the situation at hand. "I don't know Yang. I have to say that if you two want to get back together and continue your relationship further, then yes I do." _'However if it turns out that he lied about his feelings then I will break his spine.'_

"And if he doesn't?" she asked wondering about the sad possibility.

"We'll come to that if it happens, but for now I can see you two can get back together," he said taking a bite out of his sweet treat.

"Thanks again dad," she said with a smile.

"It's no problem at all Yang," he said as they ate together, making jokes and telling stories.

"So what do we do now?" Boran said with everyone available at the table. "I don't think that Strom is right for breaking up with Yang."

"Technically it was Yang who said it," Lily murmured before getting back on track. "But that's not the point here. We all know that they love each other enough to break their own heart for the other. So how can we help them get together again?"

"Well, for one thing it's not up to us if they should get back together," Darrel said as he held Mona's hand. "If they change their mind about it while they are away from each other, we should respect their feelings and decisions."

"We can hope that they will get back together, but we can't force them," Mona said with tears in her eyes knowing that Strom left again without any warning or a goodbye. "I hope that he is alright."

"I don't know dear," Darrel said bringing her in for a hug. "This is his first relationship, so it probably is very hard on him and I wish that we could help him, but he chose to leave instead."

"I think that right now we can help and be there for Yang," Lily said calmly. "Although it may be a risk as well, but I can't leave Yang like that, so who is with me?"

After everyone gave a little nod towards her Boran spoke up. "Looks like we're all in this now, so how should we go about it?"

Strom finally left the cabin room due to his hunger getting the best of him. He left to see what might be available to eat if anything was open. As he was walking he met some a man who seemed to be afraid for his life being chased by a man with a wolf tail. The man chased the other into a corner where they couldn't escape.

"We had a deal, Chris," the wolf faunus said growling at Chris. "You told us that you are "working on it", but we all know that it's just an excuse."

The man shuddered when he saw a knife being pulled out and Strom knew that it was time to step in. He walked up behind the Faunus and spoke to him.

"You should be careful with that knife sir," he said calmly and didn't want to add tension to the situation. "Humans are just like you and me. We all have a heart that pumps blood throughout our bodies and a mind that expresses emotions. And just like us they bleed when harmed."

"Look buddy, you're a faunus like me so I'll be easy with you," he said turning to face Strom. "This human owes us a lot of money. So to make sure that we can get our money, we'll have to take a part of him and sell it."

"You think that ending a life is worth getting your lien back?" Strom asked a little upset by what he was witnessing. "You should reconsider about these actions for they could come back to haunt-"

"Just end the preach you brat," the Faunus said turning and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "Unless if you can pay for this man yourself, and if not? Well, I'm certain that someone would like to hang up a fish trophy somewhere."

Strom didn't want to use violence against others, but he had to make sure that no one would be killed. The next thing that the wolf saw was a fist heading towards his head. The next thing he knew was that the man was behind the boy running away and that he was hit by a kid.

"You little bastard, looks like you will be paying for him," the man said getting up from the impact. "I hope that you don't need your heart you little shi-GRK!"

In the next moment the man felt a powerful blow that was delivered into his stomach, and then his world went black and fell unconscious. Strom stood there shaking the man lightly to see if he was still awake.

"Nope, out like a light," he said to himself. "Guess I should report this to the captain."

Strom carried the man over his shoulder like if he was a bag and let the captain knew of what happened. After that he found out that the ships cafeteria was still open for its passengers. He bought a burger and had that to settle his stomach before returning to his cabin for the night. He was in his bed thinking about what happened on patch as he tried to convince himself that what happened with Yang was for the best, but his eyes and eyes showed otherwise. He cried himself to sleep and continued to have nightmares about the fall of Beacon.

He woke up with a shock from his latest nightmare and began his daily routine: work out, get clean, and eat. He grabbed his stuff because he would be leaving today, if the information the captain gave him was correct. After he had breakfast he noticed that something was off, or rather someone was off. He saw a short girl tense up when she saw him. He noticed that her aura color would shift occasionally, as if she were trying to keep an illusion. He decided to let it go for now but as the time passed he found himself being followed by her. As he turned down the hall he stopped at a dead end and waited for her to come to him. She hesitantly poked her head around the corner when she met him face to face.

"Hello," Strom said with a casual tone. "May I ask why you are following me?"

Her eyes went wide with surprise as she fell down and began to back up slowly as if she were afraid of him. She remembered the crazed smile that he had when they were on the train. Neo had never lost a fight with amateurs, but he was different. He was more powerful than she could imagine. She went so into thought that she didn't even notice the hand being held out in front of her to grab.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that," he said putting out his hand to help her up. "I also think that you remind me of someone."

She hesitantly reached out to take his hand, which to her surprise, was a normal temperature. She was brought to her feet gently and carefully. She took out her scroll and started to type on it and brought it for him to read.

"Thank you for helping me," he read aloud then returning a smile. "It's not a problem. I am just wondering why you have been following me?"

She hesitated and began to try and type a story that he might believe, but he was quick to catch onto what was happening.

"Why are you hesitating?" he asked starting to feel threatened. "It shouldn't be that hard to explain unless… you're here to kill me."

Her eyes went wide with fear because he was wrong. She furiously waved her hands and shook her head before typing the truth.

'I was following you because I fear you.' Her screen showed as she looked at him with the same emotion she typed.

"Why are you afraid of me?" He asked before thinking about the possibilities of why would someone be afraid of him. "We haven't met before, have we?"

'No' she lied as her aura color slipped into her natural pink form which he remembered a fuzzy memory on a train and saw pink and brown.

"Wait a second," he said before jumping on her pinning her to the floor. "You're Neo aren't you, the one who Roman Torchwick usually was with."

She tried to pry him off but he wouldn't budge. She accepted her position and nodded her head not wanting to look at what would come next. What came to her hearing would shock her for a long time.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Roman, Neo," Strom said slowly getting off from her. "I know that we were always pitted against each other, but no one should lose their life to the Grimm."

She was speechless. Her enemy that stood right in front of her was apologizing. She began typing on her scroll again.

'He was like family to me, and I know that it's not Little Red's fault, but I wish that she hadn't knocked me off the aircraft. I could have saved his life.'

"No one knows for certain Neo," he said looking at the girl crying before him. He gently pulled her into a hug, which was the first one she had been given in a long time. "I'm guessing that you are here on your own accord?"

She nodded and began to type what she has been doing to survive after the fall of Vale when she was released from his embrace. 'Yes, ever since I fell from the aircraft I have been assumed dead, but when in reality I have been right here trying to manage to get by.'

"Ah, and I guess that lead to stealing at the worst," he said hoping that she hadn't come to harm anyone.

'The only thing I killed since then is Grimm, and no I haven't even stolen anything for a while,' she typed and saw him sigh in relief. She silently giggled to herself as she began typing again. 'So how is your girlfriend doing?'

"She and I broke up yesterday morning," he said sadly remembering the conversations that cut him like a knife. "This is for the best though. I won't bring her into harm's way."

'Why won't you bring her into harm's way?' she asked as she typed with curiosity. 'What happened?'

"During the battle she lost her arm to Adam Taurus, a member of the White Fang," He said coldly and a clenched fist. "I also learned that I am a wanted man by Cinder and her members."

'Why are you being hunted?' she asked as they started to move back onto the main deck to find the destroyed city of Vale in the distance. 'Wait I thought this ship was going to a different place?'

'Well I asked the captain if he could drop me off here beforehand," he said looking at the city. "And I have an artifact that Cinder wants for her own purposes, so I have to keep moving because I don't want anyone to get hurt from me just being there."

'That's kind of dumb to give up you own life for others,' Neo typed out with a small shrug. 'The lonely life is for no one.'

"Well I hope that one day I can come back to her and that I can show her how much I care for her," he said judging the distance between him and the docks. "Well this is where we part ways. I wish you the best of luck and Neo; I hope that you can visit the village someday."

Before she could type a response Strom ran to the side of the ship closest to the docks and leapt off the railing over sixty feet across the water and onto the docks. He rolled into his landing without feeling much pain from it. He looked back and saw that he drew in the crowd's attention from the boat. He smiled and thought 'what would Yang do?' so he bowed before the crowd and waved with a big grin.

"Yeah, that might be something she would do, or she might say "Nailed it" or something like that," he spoke to himself as he walked into the broken main city of Vale. "I'll look at the damage of Beacon before leaving."

He made his way through the city towards Beacon. He passed by destroyed buildings and saw the scratch marks of Grimm on the path and on the walls. There were still some bloodstains that have yet to be removed from the streets and buildings from those who were not able to escape from the Grimm. He looked at the scene sadly as he kept moving on. He saw the cliff that led to Beacon and began to climb. As he climbed up he took a look back at the city and compared it to Mountain Glenn.

"It's not as bad as what we saw there, but it's a ways from being at its glory," Strom said scaling the cliff slowly.

He continued climbing and found a small nest for birds that had broken eggshells and a few feathers that would belong to baby birds. He looked around for a little while to find any signs about what might have happened.

"Well, no blood, no signs of the nest being destroyed, no skeletons, so I guess that they already left," he said before returning to the gruesome climb. "Ugh, this cliff is getting really steep."

After thirty minutes his arms and legs were getting sore from the climb without a break. He was thinking about how much he would fall if he lost his grip on the cliff when his hand felt grass.

"No way," he said becoming filled with a renewed fire of determination and launched himself up on the top of the cliff. He laughed unaware of his surroundings. "YES, now I just have… to…"

His silence was caused by the second cliff that he saw in the forest. He just fell on his back and groaned loudly. After taking some time to rest from the first climb he found a river and some fruit growing in the wild to eat and drink. A raccoon crawled its way over to him hoping to get some scraps of food that he would leave behind, but Strom smiled and gave it the rest of his meal.

"Here you go, I need to eat light for the climb," he said leaving the raccoon to its meal. "Alright I need to climb again, to the top of the cliff."

He threw one arm over the edge of the cliff before throwing his torso over the edge and let his legs dangle. After a minute he managed to swing one leg up before crawling his way far away enough from the edge and stood up. He saw the Academy that he can call home away from home. He also saw multiple squares lined up near the cliff. He investigated them and saw that they were a little more than just random squares, but rather mechanisms in the ground.

"I wonder what these are for," he said to himself placing a hang on the square. "Maybe it's a hatch? No, I would have seen more underneath the ground. What in the world do you do?"

The next thing he sees is that the square moved beneath him. His reflexes kicked in before he was flung off the side of the cliff. He scrambled away from the launch pads with a beating heart.

"Okay, is THAT what Jaune meant about being thrown off a cliff for initiation? I thought he was joking!" he shouted in disbelief. "Well, we all should have a landing strategy. It's a way to get us prepared."

After taking some time to rest and relax from the excitement he turned towards the school and made his way towards the academy. As he got closer to the school he noticed that it was in better condition than he remembered it. He saw that the glass was fixed and the broken tables and chairs were repaired and put back in place. He strolled through the school looking at everything that was being rebuilt as well as the places that yet needed to be repaired. He heard some clacking steps making towards his way. He heard a voice come from around the corner.

"I sincerely hope that you don't intend to think about destroying my hard work or take anything that doesn't belong to you," A clearly upset Prof. Goodwitch said turning around the corner to see a person she didn't recognize by their attire. "So, would you like to explain yourself and reveal who you are, or would you like to make things difficult?"

"Oh, I apologize," He said with a smile as he removed his hood and band. "I know that this is a change of appearance, but how have you been Prof. Goodwitch?"

"Strom, I apologize," she said rubbing her temples from the stress of overusing her semblance. "Oh, it's nice to see someone who isn't going to babble about their past or are on a caffeine high all the time."

"I don't know how that feels but I am glad to see that you're doing well," he said walking with her down the hall hoping that he can check out his dorm. "I'm glad that Beacon is being repaired, but I really hope that you don't push yourself too much. It wouldn't be good if you fell ill."

"You are a kind student Strom," She said taking the time to look around at all the work that needs to be done. "You would think that I would already have this all finished in the time that has passed."

"Well, I think that in a short time that a lot of things can change, just as Aria did," he said sadly letting her know what happened. "Now I have the responsibility to repopulate the village. Don't worry, I'll find others who are willing to come join the village and not make anyone uncomfortable."

"Like I said, just make sure that I don't find little Stroms and Yangs roaming around too soon," she said hitting a soft spot and realized it too late. "What happened?"

"Well we broke up and since I'm being hunted for the gem that infused into me, it's probably for the best," he said quietly.

"If you see it that way," she said looking at him with narrowing eyes wondering just what in the world they were thinking. "So what brought you here?"

"Well, I was wondering how our dorm looked since the incident," he said hoping to find his dorm room intact and something else that he wanted to take on his travels.

"I have not yet gotten around to the dorms so there is a chance that your dorm may be destroyed or not," she said following him to the dorms.

When they did get to the right area he saw that both his dorm and JNPR's door were completely off their hinges. He looked inside and he saw everything broken. The bunk beds were destroyed, the curtain had been ripped to shreds, the window and some of the wall was gone, the painting was no longer recognizable, the books were missing sheets and thrown everywhere, but what brought him the most sadness of all was the sight of his violin case, smashed and cut open. The once beautiful instrument was nothing more than just firewood, ready to be used.

"Well, it was worth a chance to take," He said sad that he saw the place in ruins before his eyes laid upon a certain book and picked it up. "Ninjas of Love, Blake would probably like to have this."

"What are you doing Strom?" Glynda asked seeing that he is rummaging through the mess.

"I was thinking about 'what I should do' or 'where should I go'," he said picking up a small case of dust that miraculously hadn't been used. "I don't even know where 'She' is, so I can't try and take her down now."

Glynda's face turned stern as she asked her question. "Who is 'She', Strom?"

"Salem," he said confirming her fears and she didn't want to lose anyone else to her. "I think that I should train in the meantime, that way I can be more prepared."

"You're right," she said relieved that he was not rushing it. "I'm glad that you're thinking about it and not charging in."

"Yeah," he responded as he found Ruby's clips for Crescent Rose. "Ooh, Ruby would definitely want these. Well, I think I took enough, I should leave now."

As he said that his eyes drew towards an object that he had forgotten. A small box and its contents that he knew exactly what it was upon sight. His gift for Yang, he planned to give it to her after the tournament was over. He opened it and looked at what was inside, happy that it was still there. He remembered getting it the day of Yang's doubles match with Weiss. The gift nearly made him late alongside that he just finished meditating that day. He managed to keep it hidden before the fall of Beacon. He placed everything but the case in his bag for easy convenience.

"Ok, now I need to leave," he said exiting the dorm Professor Goodwitch was already out in the hall.

"So where do you plan to go now?" she asked when he left the dorm.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said as he continued to walk down the halls. "I don't know where to go, but I can exclude Aria, Patch, and maybe even Vale itself. I don't know where to go or what to do."

"Well, I don't suggest that you stay here to think about it because it get's drafty here," She said readjusting her glasses. "So I hope that whatever you have in mind that you can act on it fully."

"I hope so too," he said beginning to leave. "Goodbye, Professor. I hope that you stay well."

"Stay safe Strom," she said before returning to what she was doing before having to check who had got into Beacon uninvited.

Strom left the school with a small smile. Even though he was sad about how everything happened, he can't let it haunt him forever. He looked at the sky with a new thought.

"What if I find Blake, Weiss or Ruby during my travels? Should I join them and try to bring back the team or leave things as they are?" he asked himself as he often did when he found himself thinking. "Maybe I should give myself some time to think about that. Now… how am I going to get down without breaking my neck?"

It was a new day for Yang, as she woke up a little earlier than usual. She cleaned up and got ready for the day ahead of her, though she wouldn't be up to a lot. She ate breakfast with her dad before he left to do some grocery shopping. She took care of chores while he was out. She turned her head when she heard a knock at the door.

"Coming, she called out before opening the door to find Lily outside. "Oh, Lily, why are you here?"

"To visit and talk to you about what happened yesterday," she said calmly knowing that this was a touchy subject for both of them. "May I come in because this may take a while?"

"Uhh, sure," Yang said a little nervous about what they will talk about and didn't want things to go bad. "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you," Lily said feeling that it has to be now or never. "Did you tell Strom the true reason why you broke up with him?"

"Only half, but he can do so much better with someone else than me," Yang said trying to be calm but was wavering a little. "Strom is a great person and deserves someone who wouldn't hold him back."

"So you're both going to try and run away instead of facing both of your problems together?" Lily asked knowing that what she said was a risk.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked curious about why Strom would be running away.

"You broke up with Strom because you thought that you would hold him back and he left everyone because he didn't want you to be caught in the crossfire because someone is hunting him now," Lily cried out unable to keep her cool anymore. "You're both willing to break your hearts for the other and my semblance lets me see the truth of everyone's heart and souls, so I know how he feels and thinks."

"I didn't know that," Yang said feeling a little shock about why Strom left. "Why is he being hunted down?"

"It's that stupid rock he absorbed," Lily said angrily. "But that is not why I am here. Yang I will ask you this question and I will give you time to answer it. Do you have what it takes to pull yourself together? I can wait for your answer, so for now goodbye and I'm sorry about this Yang."

Lily then left and after a while Taiyang came back to find Yang on the couch curled into a ball mumbling to herself.

"Yang what's wrong?" he asked placing the bags down and went to her side.

"I don't know if I can pull myself together," she said in fear as she had her flashbacks return.

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	27. Chapter 24

**Hey guys how are you all doing? Please put the pitchforks down. So yeah, last chapter happened… but don't worry everything will be just fine. Why you may ask? Well, this little sheet of paper in front of me said so. It must be true right? Anyways I hope that you all can come to enjoy this week's chapter and maybe send in a suggestion of other stories you would like to read.**

Chapter 24: Is it Possible?

' _Do you have what it takes to pull yourself together?'_ That question has been haunting Yang for a month after she was asked. She thought about the question all the time but it was the first time that someone had actually asked it. She got out of her bed and walked into the shower. She got used to lathering her hair with one hand and used a brush to scrub the spots that she couldn't reach. She washed her feet and came to the hardest part to wash, her only arm. She locked the brush between her knees and she brushed her arms on the brush to clean ad she had every time since she lost her arm.

When she got out of the bathroom she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. After having cereal, she stretched and performed her daily exercises. After a while she sat back onto the couch and looked through the channels. And she knew what happens when the clock reached three in the afternoon.

"Yang, I'm back," Taiyang said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Hi dad," she responded knowing how the routine went. "I'm fine, so did anything happen at Signal today?"

"Actually yes," he said remembering easily. "Darrel came and talked to me about wanting to talk to you when you felt like it would be a good time."

"What does he want to talk to me about?" she asked curious to what Strom's dad would like to talk about with her.

"Well, I am not too entirely certain. He was quick about it and seemed like in a hurry," he said rubbing his chin as he thought. "He probably had to pick up Lily and Boran though."

"Should I pay him a visit?" she asked a little worried about facing Lily.

"It would be a little rude to not show up at all, but he did leave it up to you of when you can come over," he said walking over to Yang. "I think that you should go talk to him."

"Can we go together?" she asked not wanting to face him alone.

"Sure, but I won't be talking for you," he replied clapping his hand on her shoulders gently. "I know that this isn't going to be easy for you, but I want you to know that I am proud of you."

"Thanks dad," she said putting on her shoes. "I hope that it goes over well."

"Me too," he said hoping that there would be no confrontation about what happened a month ago.

"So that's the plan?" Mona asked making sure that she had everything in order.

"Yep that's the plan," Darrel sad with a grin. "You take the kids out and distract them while I get to have my talk with Yang if she comes today."

"And if she doesn't?" she asked hoping that he had a backup plan.

"Well think of it as having fun with them," he said widening his smile. "I hope that I can help her get out of this."

"I hope so too dear," she said as they kissed before she grabbed her purse. "Lily Boran, want to go out to the movies?"

She heard excited shouts as they rushed to her, though Lily was slower. She was becoming of age where her thinking can change. They left asking why dad wasn't coming with them and got their answer as they left. Darrel sat watching the news for a few minutes before hearing a knock on the door.

"Ooh, that must be them," he said turning off the news and wheeled over to the door, opening it to find out that he was right. "Hello Tai and Yang. It's nice to see you two. Please come in and we can get started."

"Can I ask you what it is that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked still standing and ready to leave if she felt that it was too much for her.

"It's just a quick summary of what happened after I lost my leg," he said waiting for how they responded. He saw them sit down at the table and was relieved. "I'm certain that Strom told you how I lost my leg, but then he left just right after his accident. So I'll tell you that I was devastated and felt like an absolute burden for my wife, but eventually she had enough of my moping around. And do you want to know what she threatened to do?"

"I think that you would tell us either way," Yang said with a nervous smile.

"Well you would be correct there," he said with a grin. "She threatened to go out, find my leg from the Grimm's corpse and sew it back on me. And I'll admit, it made me laugh a little, but then she told me that she never thought of me as a burden. Even if all my limbs were gone and on life support, she did not consider me a burden at all, but my point is that Lily told all of us why you really broke up with Strom and I know that if the both of you really care for each other that much that you shouldn't have let the other go. And Tai, I do plan to give Strom the same speech for when he returns because running away from everyone is not the best answer either."

"Glad that I'm not the only one who sees it that way," Tai said with a small smirk. "I kind of already had a talk with Yang about a month ago."

"I forgot that you lost a limb because you were just so happy Mr. Teitsia," Yang said looking down with her bangs covering her eyes.

"Sometimes I do too," he said making her look up to his grinning face. "Once there was a time that Lily and Boran challenged me to a potato sack race and Mona was worried that I would fall on my face, which I did a lot of, but I was happy having fun with my kids. Being together with the ones you love is better than forcing yourselves apart in fear of ruining the other's life. I hope that you can come and see it that way Yang."

"I- I just need time to think about this," she said standing up and left for the door. When the door closed Taiyang sighed.

"Parenting, a job that grows harder over time," he said looking at Darrel. "Well I should probably take her home and let her think about things. Take it easy Darrel."

"You too Tai," he said as he wheeled himself over to the door. "Also I want you to know that we would be happy to have you guys over for dinner any day."

"Thanks, we'll think about coming over soon, hopefully," Taiyang said leaving the house. "Wait up Yang!"

Another month had passed while Strom as he journeyed across Vale to see where he could go as he went to some docks in a village he was passing by. He met people who were kind as well as some Faunus ready to get on the ship when he noticed two figures coming his way. One light yellow that was shrouded with a cloak and the other was a dark purple with a bow that he recognized along with her weapon of choice.

"Blake what are you doing here?" he asked himself quiet enough for even Blake to not notice. Then his eyes drew to the cloaked figure whose tail just wrapped around their waist. Strom snickered at the sight. "Sun, chasing Blake and making sure she's okay. I thank you for that."

He began to follow them through the busy streets, but he could be able to track them perfectly no matter what path they took. He followed them until Blake got to the docks, purchased a ticket and entered the ship's deck. Sun just hopped on board as quietly as possible, being the stowaway he was naturally. Strom smiled and paid for his ticket and Sun's.

"Do you think that you could take off the band around your eyes?" the captain asked Strom, wary of who Strom may or may not be.

"That is fine," he said not wanting to make a scene and followed directions. "I am a peaceful person. My fight is with the Grimm and negative feelings of people."

"Hmm, so you're not with the White Fang?" the captain asked to make certain.

"No, I am not with the White Fang, I do not agree with how they are now," he replied calmly but with a small scowl. "Beside one of them did this to me a long time ago."

"Oh, well I'm sorry about the questions," the captain apologized not intending to make his passengers feel insecure. He was met with a patient smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"It's alright, you're heart is in the right place for looking out for everyone's safety," Strom said before asking his question. "Is it alright for me to board now?"

"Yes, go ahead and enjoy the trip," the man said before getting to the next person.

' _Well, I guess that I will be going where they are going. Might as well meditate before confronting Blake,'_ he thought to himself as he entered his room. "This is a big ship."

As he sat down to meditate and entered the balanced room of the gem, he saw White and Black talking to each other like good friends.

"Ah, Strom it's wonderful to see you again," White said bowing a little with Black. "How have you been?"

"Well, things have been better, but I want to ask you guys something," Strom said looking at the both of them. "Just who is Salem?"

"Salem, that name sounds familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it," Black said turning to White. "Do you know anything?"

"I remember that she is following the dark path of destruction on her own free will," White said in a serious tone. "She is also hunting for the relics."

"What relics?" Strom asked making Black quickly brings his hand to cover his face.

"You slipped there White. You're giving more information that he isn't ready for," Black said trying to see how White reacted.

"Well perhaps it is best that he knows, it may even come to help us in the long run," White argued back before turning towards Strom. "We don't know everything, but we can let you know about what we do know."

"Well since you have already said it I guess that we can tell him about them," Black reluctantly said not really happy and wanted to keep the knowledge hidden. "Like White said, we don't know everything so we'll answer everything to the best of our ability."

"Okay well what are the relics that Salem is hunting and why does she want them?" Strom asked as the two looked between each other to see who would start first.

"Well everyone was given these four gifts by the two gods who created this world," White began before Black continued.

"Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice, these metaphorical ideas were made into physical entities as well," Black turned to White for a continuation.

"Should someone hold all four extremely powerful relics, they can change the world, for better or for worse," White said before finishing his answer in a serious tone. "That is what we believe Salem is after."

"Where are the relics now?" Strom asked as the answer he was given only led to more questions. "And how do you both know this?"

"As to where the relics are, what you call the Huntsman academies protect them to the best of their ability," Black said and looked to continue before getting surprised. "And as to how we both know this, I… I don't know actually, White do you know, since you are older than me?"

"I… don't know either," White said after thinking about it for a while. "I'm sorry but I think that's out of our range."

"Okay, so Salem know more about the gem and the relics than all of us combined," Strom said slightly annoyed about the idea. "Okay, well is there any hope of combating someone who has all the relics?"

"We don't know if there is a way," White said with Black nodding in agreement. "I hope that there is a chance for that. Since basically if you collect the relics you become as powerful as the gods that left the gifts."

"Well I guess my last question will be is there anyone out there who may have more knowledge about the gem?" Strom asked hoping that he could get some answer or an idea of hope that he can see or use.

"There is a person who you can talk to within the village that knows about the gem's power," White said as he and Black entered meditation. "As much as we would like to talk about this, it might be for the best that we should be given some time to think about your questions and for you to find some answers on your own."

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone until I have another question," Strom said reluctantly before leaving and felt his stomach growl. "Well, I can ask tomorrow. I'll get something to eat."

He left the room to find everyone rushing inside and when he looked around he saw the Grimm.

"Well that's not good," Strom said as he saw Blake and Sun fight the Grimm. "They are handling it well though."

He watched them and planned to step in should they need help at all. They chased the Grimm and put themselves on the line for the protection of everyone on the ship. He saw the crew work tirelessly to load the cannon on the bow of the ship. He looked back at the two as the trapped the Grimm in front of the cannon, which then fired and blew the Grimm's head off. Strom walked to congratulate the two.

"That was certainly impressive and also Blake how have you been?" he asked the two, making Blake scared to what he had to say.

"Strom, what are you doing here?" she asked as Sun was just trying to figure out the same.

"I was in the same port as you when I saw you both," he said before returning to his question. "So how have you been?"

"Why are you here Strom?" she asked clearly upset that she might see another friend of hers wounded badly and that he gave a vague answer.

"I am here because I am looking for someone," he answered calmly, although his temper was rising a little from her anger. "SO, why are you here, Blake?"

"I'm going home Strom," she said turning away from him. When she saw him, she remembered Yang and how she lost her arm.

"Okay and why did you run away from us Blake?" he asked trying to find answers.

"I don't want anyone getting hurt from being around me," she said in a whisper but loud enough for him to hear.

"So, we're in the same boat then, literally and figuratively," Strom said walking up next to her, standing at her side.

"What do you mean Strom?" Sun said walking to Blake's other side.

"I ran away as well, but I am being hunted as well as hunting," he said looking into the waters. "I don't like this at all. And I think I speak for everyone."

"True, but let me lighten the mood," Sun said as he tried to make his friends a little bit happier. "So where is home Blake?"

"It's Kuo Kuana," she said looking at the sunset. "Strom, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course Blake," he said sitting on the edge of the ship now.

"Why are you being hunted down?" she asked as he sighed and thought about how many times he would hear that same question.

"Do you remember Aria and how I locked myself in the cave with the giant stone?" he asked and saw her nod remembering the village. "Well turns out that Cinder is looking for the gem that I have."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Sun asked as Blake and Strom looked at each other before telling the story about Aria and how it fell.

Yang woke up in the morning ready to complete the same routine she has been doing as always. Wash, eat, do chores, and then watch the news for the same boring details, counting down the time for her regular visitors to show up.

 _ **Knock, knock, knock!**_

"And I wonder who could that be," she said to herself as she opened the door with a small smile. "Hi Lily, hello Boran, did you guys have fun at school today?"

"Hi Yang," Boran said with a bright smile while Lily's was more tame. "It was fun, I learned a lot today."

"And I had a test to take," Lily said as she looked at Yang, whose eyes seemed dull and near lifeless. "Are you alright Yang? You look like a fire that is going out."

"Hmm, yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?" she said in a tone that's not very convincing.

"You just seem off Yang," Boran said worried about their friend. "Strom would be concerned too if he was here."

"Well, he's not," Yang said in a slightly harsh tone. "I would love to continue this conversation, but I think that you two should go home. I just need some space now."

"Yang I challenge you to a duel," Boran said with a steeled look of determination. She just laughed lightly and waved her arm in front of him. "What do you think I'm not much of a challenge?"

"Boran, please don't do this," Lily said quietly putting an arm in front of him, but he grabbed it and moved it aside.

"Is it because you're afraid to fight me or maybe that you haven't gotten over the fact that you lost your arm yet?" he called out and got the reaction he was looking for, Anger. "Then again, it would be humiliating if you lost to someone who is less experienced and younger than you, right?"

Yang's dull lilac eyes changed into a new color, a faded, dull red. She closed her fist around his shirt and lowered herself to his eyelevel and moved her head out from the dark house. "Listen here and well, I'm not in the mood to do that right now so go home."

She let him go and watched as the two turned around and slowly walked away. She started to close the door before she heard Boran said. "Or maybe you're just being a coward."

"WHAT," Yang cried out slamming the door open and went outside. "Alright fine, we'll duel."

"Boran no," Lily tried to reason but even she knew his reasoning and thinking due to her semblance. He just moved her arm again, gently before he got into his fighting stance.

"Your move," he said as Yang charged him with months of anger and rage fueling her to let it out.

Even with one arm, Yang was able to keep her offensive strong. She began using her legs more and more since the fall of Beacon. And to her surprise she saw Boran keeping up with his defense. Her head was becoming clouded with anger as the fight continued. Her movements became more predictable and readable. Boran was able to find an opening after he blocked a kick from Yang's right leg. He got it close and delivered two punches near instantaneously with a single arm to her core. Seeing that she was pushed back a little made him smile with confidence.

Yang saw that smile and recognized it. For it was her smile that she used in every fight during the Vytal tournament and the same smile that she used when she knew that she would win. Her head became clouded with memories of her fights, the look in the enemies' eyes as she delivered the final blow, the sound of her weapon firing rounds into Grimm. Those memories burned into the fire that roared at Beacon with that man and his Katana, the same man who hurt Blake.

Blake a name that she hadn't thought of in a while was it because of the fact that she ran away or some other reason. Her thoughts were interrupted by a kick delivered into her side by her opponent before being picked up and thrown over his small shoulders.

"Ow," she said as she landed. "Alright, I'll admit that you are stronger than you look."

"Well you were feeling rather light," he said making her laugh slightly.

"Okay smooth talker, maybe in a few years you can find a girlfriend to say that to," she teased causing his face to change into one of disgust.

"EWW YUCK, girls are gross," he called out making Lily frown at him a little.

Yang saw this and laughed a little as she got up. "Give it a few years. Anyways, want to go to round two?"

"Sure, but this is where you will lose," he said before getting a thought. "Care to make a wager?"

"Hmm sure why not," she shrugged, thinking that it would be something simple. "What is it?"

"If I make you concede defeat, you have to get back on your feet," he said pointing right at her.

"I'm already back on my feet," she lied knowing full well what he was talking about. "There is nothing wrong now."

"That's a lie and you know it," he said before finishing the wager. "And if I don't make you concede, then both Lily and I will no longer bother you for as long as you want."

"Alright then, I accept your terms," she said smiling about the thought of being left alone since her dad would not make feel uncomfortable. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes," he said making the first move this time. He ran in close and blocked a kick with his forearm and tried to trip her standing leg. She saw this movement and was able to jump back. She saw the sweat forming on his head and she knew that he has the skills but not the stamina of a hunter.

"Are you getting tired?" she called out before he smiled.

"Yes, but I think that I have won," he said making her confused.

"You haven't even been able to land a very strong blow on me yet, so how can you claim victory?" she said as the area below her became black and fell through the world.

She walked around the absolute darkness of that she fell through and saw fires. She knew exactly where she was. Beacon as it fell and Vale crumbled behind her. Two voices gained her attention, Blake's and one she remembered, the one who took her arm, Adam Taurus. He slowly walked towards her, brandishing his weapon. She instinctively used Ember Celica to try and damage him, but the bullets just phased past him. She reloaded her gauntlets and fired again, but nothing came out. She looked at her right arm, which was gone again, and felt fear as he got closer. She scrambled back in fear but he quickly caught up with her and begun to swing his weapon when she punched him with all of her might. When she opened her eyes she saw Boran collapse.

"Oh no," Lily said rushing to Boran's side trying to shake him awake. Luckily his aura took the blow, but it still knocked him out. "Boran, are you okay? Say something, anything!"

"Oww, that is going to leave a bruise in the morning," he said coming to find Lily hugging him before turning to Yang. "Well a deal's a deal."

"What did you do?" Yang asked her eyes were filled with fear and life. "I was just getting over it and you brought up the bad memories again. Why?"

"Yang, you were not just getting over it," he said in a strained voice and frowned. "You were just getting upset at it instead of facing it. I just wanted to help you out Yang because I know that Strom still has feelings for you and he wouldn't want you to be in a mess."

Yang's look softened at the mention of Strom and thought about it. She looked back at Boran and smiled at the excitement that he brought today, even though that she did fear for her life. She looked at them and said, "Boran, I concede defeat."

He laughed softly when he heard that. "Looks like that I won again, and to be honest I wasn't expecting to win that bet."

"Well, after thinking about it… you're right," she said before looking at where she had hit him. "I'm sorry about the punch by the way."

"It was well worth the risk," he said getting up. "I still have a long way to go before I can challenge him."

"Oh, Boran you're always on about challenging Strom," Lily said brushing off the dust on her pants. "The difference between the two of you in power is that you are a stone before a mountain."

"And that is why I can't give up," Boran said feeling the challenge and was determined to overcome it. "I will become better than him one day, and when that day comes I will train others my ways."

"Maybe I should think a little like you Boran," Yang said as she walked over to the siblings. "Thank you for trying to help me. I need to rest after battle. You put up a great fight there Boran."

"You as well," he said as they shook hands. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Well to be honest I don't know, but I do have to stop moping around," she said with a smile. "Thank you again, I needed something different in life to keep it from being bland. Maybe we can spar again someday?"

"That would be fun," Boran said before turning with Lily to go home. "Take care Yang."

"You too," she called out before heading back inside and looked at the clock. "Hmm dad's probably getting groceries."

She resumed her routine and put on the news to listen to what was going on in the world now. She listened to the words the reporter had to say without much care until they began to talk about the white fang and how Adam Taurus was at the scene of the fall of beacon. The door opened and she turned off the television on instinct.

"I'm back," Taiyang called out to his daughter.

"Hi dad," she said leaning her head back.

"Yikes, I'm sorry to hear about that dude," Sun said after hearing the complete story about Aria. "Maybe someone can come with us if we leave Menagerie?"

"I appreciate the help and thought, but I have higher priorities right now," Strom said looking at the waters again. "I want to be there for the revival of Aria."

"I thought that you wanted to keep the village secret," Blake said and crossed her arms, looking at her teammate with curiosity. "And what other priorities do you have beside the people who want you?"

"Duh, it's Yang, Blake," Sun said like it was a fact. "I can't believe that you forgot that they are dating."

"I… about that," Strom said looking down.

"No… no way Strom, what happened?" Sun asked in disbelief to what he was hearing.

"I don't want to talk about it now," Strom said turning and began to walk towards the rooms. "I'm going to get something to eat before going to bed."

"Can you believe this Blake?" Sun asked still shocked about assuming that they broke up, which he would have been right. "Why do you think they broke up?"

"I don't know, but I think that we shouldn't pry into it too much," Blake said looking at Strom walking into the ship. "Besides having food sounds nice right now."

"I agree with that idea," Sun said and started to walk with Blake to get something for dinner.

After eating Strom went back into his room and had some questions for his elders who may have the answers he needs. He sat down on the bed and began to meditate trying to focus on the matter at hand. He opened his eyes to find Azure, Caden, and Elder Trent playing cards.

"Strom is here," Azure said putting her hand down. "We have needed a fourth player."

"Wait how do you have cards here?" Strom asked confused of how cards were here.

"Well we need something to pass time when you're not here," Caden said as he dealt a new hand. "And we materialize thing into existence in here as well for some reason."

"Well, I have some questions that need to be answered Elder Trent," Strom said as he sat down to play with them. "How much do you know about the gem from the village?"

"I know a lot about the gem, why do you ask?" the elder said as the round of cards got started.

"Because it seems that there was more to the gem than what I was taught, did you know about the two entities in the gem?" he asked and watched his teacher's eyes widen.

"I won't lie, but yes I did know about the two," Trent said getting a very bad feeling about the past coming back to haunt him.

"Ok, why was I never taught about that during my time in the village?" Strom asked trying to figure out why knowledge was being kept from him.

"Why was Strom kept in the dark about it?" Azure asked looking at the Elder who wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now. "You taught everyone but him, why?"

"It was a destiny for him that I didn't want," Trent finally spoke after a few moments passed. "Before either of you came, the Oracle passed away and before she passed, she told me about a boy who would obtain the power of that greater than anyone has ever known before. I was happy to learn about it at first, and she just kept on going about how he would go to save the world. I thought that it would be great to have that boy in our village, but then I learned about the one thing that would haunt me forever. That same boy will die by the gems power and destroy it."

Silence was followed as everyone stared at the man who looked down in shame. The cards faded out of existence and nobody spoke when they heard it.

"Did you ask anything else?" Strom asked hoping for more information about a chance out of it or something to work with.

"She spoke of light and dark working together again like the brothers of old," the Elder said. "Creation, Destruction, Choice, and Knowledge will be there to make it happen on the boys own will and it's that will that would save the world and his death come."

"So there's nothing we can do to help it?" Caden asked worried about Strom.

"There is nothing that we can do to change this, for this is the gem's destiny for it and its user," the Elder said in a sad tone. "I didn't want to let you live a life knowing that you would die just after saving the world. So I kept it hidden from you to at least make sure you can live a happy life, but it looks like I can't even do that. I'm so sorry Strom, I failed."

"No you haven't," Strom said seeing that his life was in shadows just for his sake. "I can still have a happy life before I have to go. I still have time to live my life to the fullest before it happens. And who knows how long it may take before it happens. A week, a month, a year, who knows? All I know is that I still have time and I will make sure that this world is a better place before my passing."

"You were always one to think of others first Strom," the elder said with tears in his eyes. "Can I answer any other questions?"

"Yes, just who are the two entities in the gem?" Strom asked knowing that this was a long shot.

"I do know, but you are not yet ready for that Strom," Trent said sternly. "You will learn in due time, but for now it's time to say goodbye."

The next thing Strom knew was that he was back on the ship with a knock on the door. He quickly rushed and opened it to find Blake and Sun Ready to leave.

"We're here Strom, in Menagerie," Blake said as he grabbed his equipment to leave the ship and see the safe haven for Faunus.

 **And that will bring a close to this week's chapter of Fighting Fury. I hope that you have enjoyed and I have been thinking about a new story coming soon, but it's not quite ready yet so please be patient for the time needed to get the story set. Please leave a review or comment if you enjoyed it. I will try to respond all who do. Take care.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|=======**


	28. Chapter 25

**Wow I made 25 official chapters… I never think that I would have made this far, but I did and I thank you all for reading this much. When Volume 4 comes to a close this story might be going on hiatus until the full Volume 5 is released. Now that will not stop me from doing omakes and other stories with Strom and everyone on the side, but it is time for a change. With that being said, here's the chapter.**

Chapter 25: Kuo Kuana and Strom

"Wow, it's beautiful," Strom said looking at the town before him, seeing all the palm trees and the houses. His attention quickly turned to all the Faunus walking around without fear of discrimination or being called out, but noticed that they were all clustered together. "It's a little like Aria, but with more sunlight and a large community working together."

"But it feels cramped here," Sun said knowing that there was more island to use. "It's a lot of land being unused."

"Well unfortunately unlike Vacuo, the land here is a lot more dangerous so we are stuck using one third of the island," Blake said looking upset about the fact that they could only use a third of the island. "But we did make the most of it and will support each other."

"That's good and I think that some of them are looking at me funny," Strom said noticing that some of the inhabitants are looking at him, some scowling at him. "Blake, should I take off my band?"

"I think it's that you look like an assassin," she said taking a second look at his clothes. "You probably should put the band away, just to be safe."

"Okay I will do that," he said taking off his band and put his hood down as well. "Yeah, they're still looking."

"Just give it a minute I'm sure that they'll come to pass," she said really not liking the attention towards them. A sudden splash of water and some coughing got everyone's attention.

"GAH, MOMMY!" a boy wolf Faunus cried out trying desperately to keep his head above water. People rushed to try and help the child but were just out of reach as Strom jumped over them and into the water. He held the boy in the air and his head was under the water. The boy was grabbed from him and onto the land in his mother's hug. "I was just trying to get my toy that you made for me, but it fell in. I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad that you're safe," his mother said looking at Strom, who was just pulled out of the water. "Thank you so much, how can I ever repay you?"

"By telling me what the toy looked like so I can get it," Strom said with a smile, then pointed to his gills. "It wouldn't be too hard for me to get."

"Umm, well I don't know how clear the sea is, but it is blue and red," she said genuinely surprised that he was willing to find it. "You don't have to go back in. It must be cold and dangerous to go down there and I can always make another one."

"Well then thank you for the description," he said jumping back into the water as Blake and Sun watched.

"Wow, so he can breathe underwater," Sun said in shock as he had both hands on his head. "Why didn't you tell me this Blake?"

"I did, but you just put it off as boring and a useless talent," she said as she scolded Sun. "Ugh, well it looks like that we'll have to wait here for him to return."

"Are you two friends with him?" the mother asked worried about the boy who jumped back into the water. "Do you know if he will be safe?"

"Yes, he will be safe," Blake said calming the mother and the crying child. "He is very strong and helped a lot of people, myself included."

Strom was humming to himself as he descended into the water going deeper to find the object that was described poorly to him. He looked around at the sea creatures with a smile.

' _It's a shame that not a lot of people can get to see this beautiful sight,'_ he thought to himself before finding the toy wrapped around some kelp. On his way back up, he saw some fish quickly swim away from him. He laughed to himself and surfaced.

"There you are Strom," Sun said with a joke in mind as he pulled him up. "This fish was freshly caught from the sea."

Strom nervously laughed as he saw that Blake did drool a little at the thought of fish. He walked over to the boy with a dry toy, thanks to his semblance drying it up. "I believe that this belongs to you."

"Thank you so much," the boy said with stars in his eyes as he saw Strom as a superhero. "You're a hero, do you know that?"

"I am?" he said in a surprised voice as he went along with what the child said not wanting to disappoint him, yet felt a sting in his heart. He knew that he wasn't a hero. Who could leave everyone behind ever be called a hero? "Try to be careful now, okay?"

"Okay mister," the boy said before running to his mom and sneezed. "Bye-bye."

He waved at the two before looking back at Sun and Blake. "Can I put my band back on?"

"Yeah, I think that everyone will be talking about you now," Sun said as they began walking. "Probably sucks now that you have wet underpants."

"Oh, I wear compression shorts for that reason alone," Strom said remembering a time back in the village he jumped into the lake while his semblance was still hard to control. "Yes it does bite, but I will be dry in a few moments."

"Oh yeah that's right, fire semblance," Sun said as Blake rolled her eyes. "So which of these houses is yours Blake?"

"Sun please no," She said as they reached the top of the hill.

"I am curious to what you're house looks like," Strom said looking at each house.

"Is it that little one, or that one over there?" Sun said pointing to houses as he leaned over Blake's shoulder before having his arm pointed at the house that was the biggest and looked better than all the others.

"It's that one," she said shyly, knowing that it was bigger than Strom's house as Sun just held his head in disbelief again.

"Wow," Strom said looking at the home. "I think that is certainly better than my house and bigger than Yang and Ruby's cabin."

"Yeah…" she said getting a little more nervous with each step towards her house. "I almost forgot how big it was."

"Well, you are home now," Sun said excited to see inside of the house.

"Does your family live here as well?" Strom asked curiously.

"Yes they do," she said still nervous about how her parents would react after what she said to them.

"You sound nervous Blake," Strom noted and looked at Blake. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's been a long time that I have seen them," she said hoping that would be a good enough reason for them, but Strom had left his home for a longer amount of time so he felt that it she should rather be happy to be home rather than nervous.

"Well you know that I have been away from family at one point longer than you. So what is the real reason why you're so nervous?" he said crossing his arms.

"I might have said some things to them before leaving with the White Fang," she said making Sun cringe a little.

"Oooohh, that might be a good reason to be nervous," Sun said thinking what she could have said to her own parents.

"Okay, I understand now," Strom said not wanting to pressure Blake any further as they got to the doors. "Is it me or did this house grew in size as we got closer?"

"I was just thinking that," Sun said as Blake knocked on the doors with the hinge.

A short woman with black hair and cat ears answered the door. She was dressed in nice clothes that were very comfortable to move in. She looked at the two boys in front of her home before finding Blake with her ears slightly drooping. "Blake, it's you."

"Who is at the door dear?" a tall, burly man said before looking at his daughter and hugged her as well. "Blake, I'm so glad you're home. And you brought friends too."

"H-Hello sir," Sun said looking up at the huge man before him.

"It's nice to meet you," Strom said with a smile, happy to see a family reunited again.

"This is Sun, he kind of tagged along with me for the trip," Blake said before turning to Strom. "And Strom is in Team RWBY with me, but we kind of met on the ship going here."

"Why do you have a band covering your eyes Strom?" Blake's father asked cautious about the boys.

"Well, a long time ago I had an accident which left me blind before I had my aura unlocked," Strom replied politely as he removed the band, showing his scar and eyes. "I have long since adapted to see using a different way."

"Oh I am sorry about that. Ghira can be a little… distrusting when it comes to boys," Blake's mother said before introducing herself. "I am Kali Belledonna, and this big teddy bear here is Ghira, my husband."

"Hello," Strom said smiling at them. "My name is Strom Teitsia."

"And I am Sun Wukong," Sun said introducing himself.

"You all must be tired, please come inside," Kali said letting everyone in as Ghira narrowed his eyes at the boys coming inside.

They all sat down at the table as they talked about what happened at Vale. They drank tea and Sun made an awkward conversation with Blake's parents as Strom laughed quietly.

"This tea is amazing," Sun said trying to shift topics.

"It really is nice, thank you very much Mrs. Belledonna," Strom said taking a sip of the hot beverage.

"Oh, you are polite," Kali laughed lightly. "I bet a lot of girls like that about you."

Blake and Sun turned to Strom with a worried look in their eyes knowing what happened with Yang. He looked down at the table with a sad look in his eyes and a small frown formed. "Well, I knew one who did."

"Oh," Ghira said as he saw the change of expression in Strom. _'Perhaps I was too quick to judge Strom. Sun I am still worried about, but Strom is sad. Did he lose a loved one or perhaps something happened to the loved one?'_

"You don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable," Ghira said surprising his wife, Blake and Sun. "We know what happened at Vale except for the details from those who experienced it firsthand, so don't worry about me asking."

"Thank you," Strom said looking at his cup and his reflection and looked around to see two individuals come to the door. "You have visitors here."

There was a loud knocking at the door and both of Blake's parents were surprised about how he knew that before the knocking came. Blake was not as surprised but more curious as to who would be at the door. Sun was still trying to get over the awkwardness that he caused himself. The parents left to go to the door and Sun and Blake followed out of curiosity. Strom enjoyed the tea enough to bring it with him as he went over to the door as well. He hurried when Blake and Sun started shouting something.

"What's going on?" he asked holding his cup gently as Sun turned around.

"The White Fang are here too," Sun said and pointed to the two Faunus wearing different clothing than what Strom knew the White Fang normally wore.

"Is Adam Taurus here too?" Strom asked carefully as heat started to generate around him.

"No, and I hope that he does not come here at all, for the Vale district of the White Fang seems to have fallen off course from what we stand for," the man with the wolf tail said with his hands together. "And is your cup boiling hot?"

Everyone looked to the cup that Strom brought and saw it boiling calmly as they felt the heat slowly intensify. Strom looked at the two White Fang members with a cold gaze as he drank the boiling beverage to their surprise. "Doesn't bother me at all."

"Oh no was the temperature too cold for you?" Kali asked concerned that she couldn't make one of her guests happy.

"No the tea was delicious and the temperature was perfect," he said looking at the kind woman with a smile. "However whenever I think about the White Fang I keep coming back to that scene… even though I was far away, I saw Adam and what he did was unforgivable. I forgive him for taking my sight, but not hurting her."

Blake backed up a little trying to get a little closer to her parents as the two White Fang members bowed and left. "We'll return when you have cooled off."

"Actually I was about to leave to explore the nice town, so you can stay," he said walking past them still holding the cup, and then turned around to give it to Blake. "I nearly took this with me, sorry."

Strom left and the heat went away with him alongside the tension. The others talked to each other about what happened in Vale while he was away. It was a quick walk around the small town as he saw the two White Fang members leave the Belledonna home talking to each other. They saw Strom and changed their conversation to avoid any confrontation with him. He continued to walk past them and knocked on the door.

"Welcome back Strom," Blake said opening the door. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, but I hope that I'm not the only one who doesn't trust them," he said getting a nod from both Blake and Sun.

"We don't trust them either," Sun said stepping aside to let Strom inside. "So, what now?"

A new dawn showed up for Yang as she worked out to keep in shape as her usual visitors arrived. Boran and Yang began sparring which was good exercise and keeping up both of their styles. Lily just watched the two with a smile seeing her little brother is happy with his sparring partner. He did not go easy on his partner at all, but she easily kept up with every move he could throw at her.

"Wow, you're pretty good Boran," Yang complimented with a smile as she blocked his kick. "Why do you want to become better than Strom in martial arts?"

"This may sound a little selfish, but I want him to stay home more," Boran said taking the time to relax as he let down his leg. "Maybe if I show someone is better than him, he would want to become stronger than the person who beat him and stay around to train."

"That sounds like you have a lot of work in front of you, I haven't seen him defeated once yet," Yang said remembering all of his fights. "He tied with Pyrrha without the use of his semblance and he rarely uses his semblance in a fight, but Jaune nearly got the better of him once."

"Wasn't he the weakest fighter there?" Lily asked trying to remember correctly.

"Well, yes," Yang answered honestly before adding more to the statement. "However Pyrrha was training him fiercely before their fight. He has gotten better immensely. I wonder how he is doing."

"Well, let's bring it back to my thoughts," Lily said as she saw that Yang was hiding something from them. "You got a prosthetic arm, didn't you?"

"Gah, you're semblance can be annoying sometimes," Yang said looking down at the ground. "Yes, I did, but I just think that it will slow me down."

"Have you tried it on at least?" Boran asked hoping to increase the challenge. "Perhaps it works just as well."

"I'll think about it," Yang said thinking about it before Taiyang stepped out to begin watering the plants. "Well I think that we should end things here Boran. I have to think about something."

"Okay, maybe we can visit tomorrow?" he asked before Lily had to ruin the fun for him.

"Boran we have school tomorrow, but we can visit afterwards," she said as he frowned slightly. "Come on, we have been here long enough. I can smell you from here."

"That means that I worked hard so I must play harder," Boran triumphantly shouted making Yang and Taiyang to laugh. "Goodbye, Yang. Take care of yourself."

She waved them goodbye as they ran home with big smiles on their faces. She turned to see that her dad turned his head back to water the plants. _'Perhaps it is time for change and to begin my real training.'_

Taiyang sighed a little as he watered the plants. He saw Yang head inside to probably continue her routine as usual. He recalled their talk last night with the teachers of Beacon and hoped that his words had gotten through her stubbornness. It was beginning to look like he would have to have another talk about regarding her future. The door reopened and his eyes saw something shiny come out alongside Yang who was looking at it.

"Yang, you're wearing it," Taiyang said with a grin on his face.

"Well, can we begin training now that way I can get used to it?" Yang asked with a smile on her face, her lilac eyes filled with more life than they had been for the past few months.

She offered a hand to her dad who took it and stood up. "Absolutely."

' _Sheesh, when I talked about training with them I didn't think that they would push me this much,'_ Strom thought to himself as he dodges black saw blades left and right. _'Wait, where is White?'_

"Right behind you," White's voice came to be as he slammed a punch into Strom's back sending him forward. "You know why we're doing this correct?"

"Yes, this is to train my sight and reactions to things that I cannot see like magic," he said as he groaned to get back onto his feet. "It still makes me wonder just who you guys are, and why is magic so hard to see or detect?"

"Because magic has no rules to follow," Black said sending more saw blades. "You are the one who asked for training and for it to not be easy."

"Well I'm happy that you both are willing to help, but I think that I am physically sweating from all of this work," he said taking a deep breath. "How long have we been at this?"

"Four hours," White said as he put some thought into it.

"Four hours, but how?" Strom asked bewildered at how time flew by.

"Magic~" Black said before sending a volley of seeking arrows towards Strom. "We're going back to the arrows."

"Oh come on," Strom complained as he tried to run from the arrows before being caught and exploded. "That's completely fair."

"Well when will you figure out the technique?" Black retorted and sent another volley. "We'll keep at it until you learn how to sense it."

"Easier said than done" Strom shouted before another explosion happened. "Oww, I can't wait to have this come back to haunt you."

"Careful that your emotions do not get the better of you," White warned as he appeared next to Strom delivering a strong kick into his side. "They can cloud your sight if you let them take over."

Strom groaned in pain as he would feel everything and yet not be harmed. He thought about using some of the techniques that he was shown and using them in his own way. He let his mind wander to relax from all the chaos that was going on. His emotions became calm and in check with his actions. He saw something rush towards his and dodged and countered. He heard White groan in pain as he crumpled to the floor and then saw Black's arrows coming straight for him. He saw every one of the arrows and caught them all within moments and looked back at Black with a smirk.

"Good you can see magic now, and I'm not getting out of this am I?" Black said and Strom threw back the arrows with a greater force. "I didn't think so."

Black managed to dodge the arrows and make them explode away from him and collapsed. Strom saw that they were not in the best physical condition. He took the opportunity to rest for the time and thought about calling it a day.

"Well I am beat, how about you guys?" he asked hearing groans from the other two.

"We used magic just to keep up with you," Black said curling into a ball. "How is it that you can keep going?"

"How is it that we let ourselves go this much without exercise?" White asked holding his side. "I think that we need to rely less on magic and move around more."

"Well, let's rest and same thing tomorrow?" Strom asked wondering if they will be ready for more practice and training.

"I think we'll need a day to rest," White said trying to stand up before stumbling back onto a knee. "Perhaps two days."

"Okay, well take care," Strom said leaving the two to themselves.

"Strom are you okay dude?" Sun asked seeing the sweat on Strom's body. "You just sat there doing yoga and stuff for four hours and you look like you just got done running a marathon."

"You do look tired dear," Kali said as her mother instincts kicked in. "Are you getting sick? Do you need anything?"

"Just a breather, but thank you," Strom said relaxing on the ground outside the house. "So, Sun what do you think about Menagerie?"

"Beautiful place, too bad that the deserts here are much harsher than Vacuo," Sun answered looking at the clouds. "It's such a waste of land."

"It is sad that they can't expand without major risks, but I don't think that they should have ever been forced to move here either," Strom said scanning the area of what he is able to see. "There are still a lot of unused parts here. There must be parts of the jungle that are just as dangerous."

"Yeah, so Strom can I ask you something?" Sun asked wanting to hear a new opinion and looked around to find that it was just the two of them. "Do you think that Blake and I could ever get together?"

"That is hard to say Sun," Strom said looking at the differences between the two. "The both of you are opposites. Blake is calm and quiet, while you are rowdy and loud. However, even though that the differences between you two are like the sun and moons, you both still work together wonderfully."

"Awe thanks Strom," Sun said feeling good about what he had just heard.

"She even puts up with all of your faults too," Strom said with a grin on his face. "She's patient with you, she puts up with you ideas, she tolerates you when you're being too loud, and she somehow hasn't either wanted to shut you up or send you away."

"Hey, I thought we were having a bro moment here," Sun retorted hearing the things that Strom clearly had negative thoughts of him.

"However, you helped her greatly as well and I thank you for that," Strom said with a soft smile. "You stood by with her when she thought no one else would when she ran away, your stubbornness to follow her helped us to reunite as a team. Even when her bed was empty I still used the tub. I'm glad that we got things settled that weekend."

"Well, I guess bro moment restored?" Sun asked hoping that it was restored.

"What exactly is a bro moment?" Strom asked curious about what a bro moment means. "We aren't brothers."

"And it's gone," Sun said with his head hanging down a little. "A bro moment is just a moment where guys just talk to each other about sensitive topics."

"Oh, that's a bro moment," Strom said with a small smile. "We should have more of these."

"Yeah," Sun said looking at the time. "It's starting to get late so we should head inside."

"Wow, I almost forgot that I was training for that long," Strom said as he dumped a bucket of water he had ready for himself. _'Maybe I should talk to Blake to see what she thinks about Sun.'_

Lily and Boran went into town after getting home with their dad. They stopped by the music store to make sure that their instruments had cleaning supplies. While in the store they laid eyes on a peculiar instrument and they smiled at it.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Lily?" Boran asked knowing that she would agree.

"Yes, I think that it's a great idea," she said picking up the instrument and brought it to the register.

"Another one, Lily, don't you think that you have enough instruments to play?" the shopkeeper teased the two as they are here quite often. "This would take you five minutes to master."

"Yes but I am getting this as a gift for our friend Yang," Lily said knowing that she would like the instrument. "I hope that she will like it."

"Well I think that she will enjoy it," the shopkeeper pushed up his glasses. "Well I'll get it bagged up for you to go."

"Thank you very much," Lily said with a bright smile as she was handed the bag. "Let's go visit Yang, Boran."

"Wait, why don't we take an instrument over from home and play with her?" he asked thinking that it would be a great idea.

"You know what? That is a great idea," Lily responded and ruffled his hair. "You need to stop growing Boran. You need to be short forever so I can do this to you."

"No," Boran said loudly as they left the store. "I want to be tall enough to make Strom look up to me."

They laughed together as they stopped home to get instruments and went over to Yang's place. They walked through the woods and felt the sun and the shade of the trees on their heads and the wind on their faces. They saw the cabin shortly and rushed to their destination. They knocked on the door with big smiles on their faces.

The door opened to reveal Yang and a smile on her face. "Hey guys, what brings you two here?"

"We got a present for you Yang," Boran spouted as Lily looked at him.

"Shh Boran, you going to spoil the surprise," she said covering his mouth. "How have you been Yang?"

"I have been doing a lot better lately, thanks to you two and my dad," Yang said with a grin. "So why did you guys bring your instruments?"

"Well, we were at the shop and we saw something that we thought you might like to play," Boran said moving his sister's hand out of the way. "Can we show it to her now?"

"Someone's excited," Yang said laughing lightly. "So what did you guys get?"

"We got an instrument that anyone can play," Lily said with pride filling her chest and pulled the object out. "We got you a tambourine."

Yang looked at the instrument as she reached out to grab it with her left hand holding it with a smile as she shook it and listened to it. "I love it, now I have a surprise for you."

"What, no way," Boran said in shock. "What is it, what is it?"

"It's my new hand," she said revealing the hidden arm. "What do you guys think of it?"

"Wow it looks so cool," Boran said looking at the arm. "Can you fight in it?"

"Absolutely, and it feel natural too," she said looking at Lily. "What do you think?"

"Yang," Lily said smiling and hugged Yang. "You doing it, you're getting a grip and fighting back."

"I am, thanks for helping me through it all," she said returning the hug and felt Lily shiver a little. "What's wrong?"

"One, you're squeezing me too much," she groaned as Yang loosened her embrace. "Secondly, you arm is going to take some time to get used to for hugs. It can be a little cold."

"Sorry, but I do feel the chill when I put it on in the morning," she said laughing nervously and looked back at the tambourine. "Well should we get started to play something?"

"Yes," both of the siblings said with glee.

They brought out the instruments and quickly taught Yang a song. They began slowly to make sure that everyone knew the parts of the song. Slowly they began to pick up the pace and began having more fun as Boran kept missing his notes on purpose. Yang laughed as she saw Lily get upset with Boran and he just grinned. Lily got her revenge when Yang handed her the tambourine and she hit him on the top of the head without breaking the instrument. At the end they just laughed and played until the siblings had to go home.

"Wow that was so much fun," Yang said with a big grin on her face as she looked at the sky. "Wow it's getting late, you two should head home before it gets dark."

"Don't worry I can protect the both of us," Boran said proud of his fighting capabilities.

"Careful there, I have thought that nothing could happen to me when I was out and about and now look at me," Yang said in a serious tone. "And this is the second thing that happened to me."

"What was the first?" Lily asked curious about the issue and tried to pry into Yang's head with her semblance. "Why can't I see anything?"

"I have learned a thing or two from Strom," Yang said remembering how he sees and tried to apply a shield around her mind. "I'll tell you later."

"Hmm, alright then you win this time," Lily said accepting defeat graciously. "Let's go Boran."

"Okay," Boran said as they began to walk home.

Yang took her new instrument into the house with glee as Taiyang was making dinner. He heard what she said and was very curious. As they ate dinner, he waited until the time was right.

"So I overheard your conversation with Boran and Lily," he said being honest and saw that her cheeks were full of food. "So what happened the first time? And don't think that you'll escape me."

She froze with fear knowing that he would get upset about not telling what happened sooner. She hesitated and remembered every detail about the incident with Strom's past. And she remembered what he did for her to keep her alive.

"I can't believe that I almost forgot all the details," she said with a melancholy. "But, I think that I should have told you long ago, but I was scared of what you might do."

"I promise that I won't be angry Yang," Tai said putting his utensils down. "Please continue."

"Well it all started when Strom and I first met."

 **And done with chapter 25, I'm tired. Comment what you're favorite part of the ENTIRE story has been so far.**

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	29. Chapter 26

**Well, this is it. It's the last chapter that I can produce before putting this story on Hiatus… It's like saying goodbye to an old friend for me. Well this is no time to feel sad, but see it as a chance for growth and change. I thank every single one of you who had this story followed, reviewed or on their favorites list. I hope that my new story coming up will be better than this one, anyways on to the story.**

Chapter 26: Overcome It

Strom entered the Belledonna household with a little steam coming off of his clothes and hair. Using his semblance to dry himself quickly had its advantages. Sun honestly thought that it was cool to do. Blake's parents saw it as a little concerning since that he could easily burn the entirety of the jungle and town if he wanted to. As they thought of that, Blake came to find Strom steaming and she hit him on the back of the head lightly with a book.

"Strom, please don't use your semblance indoors," she said calmly and smiled when she saw the steam go away.

"Sorry, I won't do it again," Strom said rubbing his head a little.

"Thank you," Blake said opening the book and began to read again. "Hey Strom, what do you think everyone else is thinking about?"

"Well, I think that everyone is worried about what is going on in the world and-" Strom said before being interrupted by Blake.

"Not everyone, I meant everyone in team RWBY," She said with her ears slowly drooping as she thought about their separation and how Yang must feel. "And what do you feel about the disbanding of the team?"

"I bet that Weiss s trying to find a way out from her father's grasp as well as trying to improve herself as a huntress, Ruby I know is headed towards Mistral with Jaune, Nora and Ren. I think that Qrow followed them, but I'm not certain," He said before getting to Yang and got quiet. "And I hope that Yang is fighting back from what happened, and I hope that my family can forgive me for running away."

"Do you think that we could ever make things right in this world?" She asked looking very down and hopeless.

"Yes, for no matter what happens, peace always wins," he said as she looked at him. "These are trials that we must pass through, and only this generation has to deal with this. I don't know what you plan to do, but I plan to fight for peace. I plan to avenge those lives lost and hurt at the fall of Vale and I plan to make sure that I will be strong enough to do so."

"Do you think that the both of us running away will do any good?" She asked fearing that she may not get the chance to stay home for long.

"No, running away isn't going to solve anything and I know that I sound like a hypocrite right now," Strom said interlocking his hands and rested his chin on them. "Blake, I plan to find them. Adam, Cinder, and whoever else is behind that attack or is planning an attack on another continent. And I will fight until it's over for me or them, but I'm not going in just yet, that would be a very foolish move to do. Instead, everyone needs to unite as a singular force against the Grimm and this threat against the kingdoms. If I can't get everyone then I will get those who will."

"Then why did you come with us?" she asked beginning to tear up and her parents came over to comfort her. "If you're so busy with that, then why did you come here?"

"Because I wanted to make sure that you were alright Blake," he said looking at her as he took off his band with tears in his eyes. "I still care for everyone very dearly, but I'm not about to risk everything when I don't even know if I'm ready yet. I don't want to lose anyone, and I know that no one wants to lose anyone else. I especially don't want to see anyone get hurt like Yang!"

"Hey Strom, let's go take a walk," Sun said wanting to diffuse the situation. "I think that we all need some time to think."

"Fine," Strom said with a sigh as he stood up and walked with sun outside.

"Dude, what was that?" Sun asked as soon as the door closed. "Are you trying to make her feel better or worse?"

Strom sighed as he put on his band again. Thinking about what he said. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"News flash, you weren't so I suggest that you take some time to think a little," Sun said as they walked. "Do you think that it was easy for me to just leave my team behind?"

"Of course not, it's never easy to do something like that," Strom said wondering why Sun would bring that up right now.

"It wasn't easy for you to leave Yang and it certainly wasn't easy for Blake to leave everyone," Sun said remembering days where Blake cried alone. "I know that it wasn't right of her to run away, but she thought that she was protecting everyone by separating herself from the rest. And you thought the same too."

"Well, I'm trying to make things better for everyone and I can't exactly just rush things through," Strom argued back flaring his aura a little. "Look I need some time to myself please."

"Fine, and when you're done thinking you can apologize to Blake," Sun said turning around to go back to the house.

Strom waited until he was gone to sigh heavily and loudly as he walked around in the forest to look for a spot to meditate. He thought about everything that happened since the fall of Beacon and Vale. Everything began to jumble around in his head and he didn't know what to do. He struggled to clear his mind to hopefully come to a conclusion as to what to do next. Eventually he began to clear his thoughts and meditate.

A picture began to form in his mind he saw Cinder straining to talk with a woman who looked like she was interrogating her. He turned to see Emerald and Mercury wanting to support her, but Cinder raised her hand signaling them to stop. A very raspy and weak voice started to come from Cinder.

"Yes, I killed Ozpin," she said making the woman smile.

"You're making progress Cinder," she said before turning to face Strom. His blood felt like it was freezing. "It's rude to eavesdrop, don't you know that Strom?"

A loud scream pierced his ears making him close his eyes in pain and held his ears. Just as soon as the screaming came it stopped, causing him to slowly open his eyes to a new view. The room was elegant and looked like it belonged to someone of great wealth. He turned to find Weiss close to the window holding her weapon and looked like she was concentrating on the glyph in front of her when the door opened. She turned and walked to the door to a boy who was smiling like there was nothing wrong in the world. Strom turned around to find the boy in a vest and expensive pants and Weiss literally walked through Strom like he wasn't even there.

"What do you want?" she asked annoyed about what happened recently.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how my sister was feeling," he responded in a sickeningly sweet voice that irritated her and Strom. "Is there something wrong about that?"

' _No, but it sounds like that you are a lot more heartless than caring,'_ Strom thought as Weiss spoke.

"Is it because you harbor ill feelings for Winter and I becoming huntresses?" she asked wondering why her brother is how he is.

"Oh please, that work is too barbaric for me," he said smugly and was really beginning to anger Strom. "Why get my hands dirty when we have an army, though its leader is incompetent."

"Wow, I can see why you were a little hostile when I met you Weiss," Strom said only for it to fall on ears that couldn't see nor hear him.

"Leave," she simply said and closed the door in his face. Strom thought about giving her a high five for that. She paced back to where she was and began focusing on the glyph again. Strom watched the glyph move faster and glow brighter and saw a white and blue knight appear with a loud crash as the window broke. Before he could see everything settle the white grew and consumed his sight before it slowly changed to a blue sky and shades of the trees.

He got off the ground and looked around to find a very familiar cabin and two even more familiar people sparring. Yang and Taiyang were in the middle of training as Taiyang tripped Yang and made her fall to the ground before teaching her about keeping her emotions in check and about her mother. Strom just watched from behind a tree with a smile that Yang was slowly getting back into action. He listened carefully to what Taiyang said as well, since even he would admit that he can lose his cool too during a fight. He continued to watch as they began to spar again. Taiyang was going on about balance when Yang grinned and tripped her own father, but didn't let him fall to the ground. Her prosthetic arm was holding all the weight alone just fine. She pulled him up and they began to laugh as the sun grew too bright for his eyes and everything suddenly faded back into black and was silent.

"Hey don't let what Strom said bother you," Sun said to Blake, who was pacing back and forth slowly. "You and I both know that he's just a little worried and stressed out about all of this."

"You have a point," Blake said sighing. "He is just making it sound like those who run away from their problems are scum and should feel awful."

"Yeah, but have you thought about what he did say that he was a hypocrite," Sun said catching Blake's attention as well as her parents. "He ran away as well, so I think that he feels awful and doesn't want to forget that feeling of shame and guilt. He needs to cheer up because that guilt can come back to haunt him. You need to cheer up a little as well Blake."

She was silent as she heard this and thought about it. "I want to discuss something with my parents, Sun."

"Okay, go for it," he said not getting the message.

"Alone," she said bringing a hand to her head. "Please."

"Oh, well okay I'll go see how Strom is then," Sun said leaving the house to the privacy of the Belledonnas.

"How can the both of you be so forgiving of me?" Blake asked after all of what she said to them when she left with the White Fang.

"Blake, we forgive you because you are our daughter," Ghira said calmly and with a warm smile. "We were afraid that you would fall down the dark path."

"But I did! And I called you two cowards for leaving," she said with a frown. They just smiled at her and hugged her.

"True, but you did see the error and you fixed yourself back onto the right path," Ghira said feeling proud of Blake and showed it on his face. "I'm proud of you Blake."

"We both are," Kali said and Strom smiled watching the three.

' _I will be apologizing to Blake after all of this,'_ He thought to himself as Sun fell through the door.

"Oh uhh, this isn't the bathroom," Sun said clearly trying to bluff his way out of the situation.

"I really don't like you," Ghira said as Blake realized something else.

"Sun, where is Strom?" she asked as he sighed and showed the meditating person.

"He was stiff and not responding, so I brought him back, and he hasn't moved a muscle," he said a little impressed. "He can be impressive sometimes."

"Okay well, bring him inside," Blake said as the room grew dark and quiet until Strom couldn't see anything. The next thing that he saw was a destroyed town. Dark clouds covered the entire sky as far as he could see. He walked until he heard conflict at the end of the town. He ran to find Ruby fighting a man he did not recognize, with her Uncle Qrow. Jaune, Ren and Nora were at the ready to jump in whenever. The scene confused Strom and made him think.

"Why are they not helping out?" Strom asked himself and saw Qrow save Ruby from a falling piece of the house she was behind. He took a good look at the attacker as he scratched Qrow with his scorpion tail. He had black hair tied like a scorpion tail, a white shirt and black pants. His weapons seemed to be some sort of bladed wrist guards that could shoot rounds as well. "Of course everyone needs a gun in there weapon."

The next thing he saw shocked him, for Ruby placed her scythe on the outstretched tail and cut it off without hesitation.

"AAAAHHH," the man screamed in pain as he held what was left of his tail. "YOU BITCH! YOU'LL PAY FOR- no nonono HOW CAN YOU BE HERE TOO?!"

Strom was puzzled as the man pointed to him and began to run as everyone else looked in the general direction of where he pointed.

"I don't see anything," Ruby said and looked towards Ren.

"I don't sense anything there either," he said before rushing to Qrow. "We need to get him get bandaged up."

' _Wait, how was that man able to see me but not the others?'_ Strom asked himself as he looked as the severed tail and saw a liquid seeping out from the point. _'They need to take the tail as well, just what we learned in class about what to do about poisoned victims.'_

But no one did pick up the tail. Strom tried his best to make himself known, but he just phased through anything he touched, and anything he shouted was just completely unheard by them. He watched them take Qrow and support him as he limped to continue their journey.

"It's like they all got bad luck for forgetting some of the basics of what we learned," Strom said to himself as he closed his eyes.

"The White Fang are evil. I totally called it," the first words that Strom heard as Sun chased after Blake.

"Wow, I get back and excitement already," Strom said rushing out to help Sun and Blake chase someone down. He caught up to them quickly. "Hey so what am I missing?"

"A White Fang spy, we have to capture them," Blake commanded and Strom smiled.

They continued to run through the jungle to keep the spy in their sight as long as they can. Eventually Sun caught up to the spy and made her fall out of the trees to avoid capture. Blake was quick to try her luck at tackling the spy, but her attempt was thwarted when the spy ran towards a building. Strom formed a small fireball in his hand and took aim, but the spy jumped onto a roof. Blake was the first to go up and Sun and Strom made a quick plan to help Blake surround the spy.

Strom was silently making it to the top of another roof in case that the spy ran. He saw that Blake and Sun were able to get her scroll and cheered quietly. That brief joy turned into worry and fear when He saw Sun get pierced in the chest and shocked and Blake stood her ground. He sent a ball of fire at the spy, and she disappeared after that. Strom could still see her and could have given chase, but he ran over to Blake's building to help Sun.

"He's still alive, Blake," Strom said calmly after checking Sun's breathing and pulse. "Let's get him back over to your house and well plan from there."

"What about a doctor? We need a doctor," Blake said completely worried and feeling guilty about Sun's condition. "This is my fault."

"Okay I'm going to get Sun back to your house and if I hear that it's your fault again, I will make sure that I burn every copy of Ninja's of Love in the world," Strom angrily said knowing that there was a risk of someone getting hurt. "Look Blake, we all knew the risks about becoming Hunters and Huntresses, but feeling bad about someone getting hurt from the White Fang does not immediately fall onto your shoulders. It's not your fault, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. So help me, please."

Strom's anger was able to snap Blake into a state of fear and helped him get Sun onto his back. They ran back with everything they could give. Strom was able to keep up with Blake and let his aura flow over Sun a little to keep him protected from any branches they might come across. When they got to the house, Strom nearly broke down the front door and got Sun onto a couch and ripped off one of his sleeves and gently put pressure onto the wound.

"It's alright Sun, you're going to make it," Strom said calmly as Blake put on a cool wet cloth over Sun's forehead. "Thank you for that Blake it will help out a lot."

He would feel awful if he told her that it wasn't going to help, but considering everything that happened, he didn't want to make her feel any worse.

"I overheard Sun talking about why I might have snapped at you then," Strom spoke making the air around them tense. "Every word he said was true. I am angry at myself for leaving, and I'm sorry that I made you feel bad too."

"It's okay Strom, I understand now," she said looking at Sun worried. "Is he going to make it?"

"We need a medical professional here to say that, but I am trying to look into the damage," he said looking into every little detail about the wound. So much that he could see Sun's heart and organs. "I think that he'll be alright if we can close up the wound and make sure that his heart beats regularly."

"I'm sorry Sun," Blake whispered softly as a doctor arrived and asked for space. "Will he make it?"

"That has yet to be seen," the doctor said before getting to work. "Please let me see what I can do here."

"It's okay Blake, I'm certain that he can do it," Strom said leading Blake outside. "Wait here, I have something for you."

She waited for a few moments before he came back with his bag and dumped it out and picked up the book and handed it to her. "Here, I went over to Beacon a few months ago and rummaged through our dorm and picked up something for everyone."

She looked at the book and read the title and smiled slightly. "Didn't you say that you would threaten to burn all of them in the world?"

"Yes, but you know that I wouldn't do it," he said making her smile more. "The case is for Weiss, the clip is for Ruby-"

"And the small box?" Blake asked seeing the small box. "Is that for Yang?"

"It may be," he said placing the items back into the bag. "But let's just hope that Sun pulls through."

"Your right," She said thinking about what happened. "Strom, the spy we chased after tonight, her name is Ilia Amitola. I think that she could have relayed the message to someone in the White Fang about what happened."

"Well, I would tell someone about this if I was a member of the White Fang," Strom said remembering the day that Adam took his sight. "Blake, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she replied with a small laugh, trying her best to lighten the mood, but felt awful afterwards.

"It's okay Blake, you tried," Strom said before coming to his question. "Do you think that Adam will come here when he learns that you are here?"

"I wish that he wouldn't learn about it, but I know that he will," she said looking down at the floor. "He swore to destroy everything I love, but I can't fight him alone."

"You're right, you can't fight him alone… yet," Strom said looking at Blake as she looked at him with a surprised look. "You keep running away instead of facing your problems. I did too, but we can work together to get some confidence back in ourselves. You don't have to fight him alone. I have to fight him, I want to fight him, but I think that I'm not strong enough yet. However, I am doing everything I can to become stronger and we all are. Yang is getting back on her feet, Ruby is out in Mistral, Weiss is learning more about her summoning and practicing it, and I am training with the gem and the elders who passed away. So Blake, what will you do to advance?"

"I… I may need to think about that Strom," she said uncertain on what she could do. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think that you should accept help from others," Strom said and continued before she got a chance to argue against what he said. "Blake, you accepted help from us on the night of the docks because Sun and I nearly forced ourselves on you. You accepted help to look and find anything out about the White Fang because the team didn't want you to do it alone. And after that you put yourself at risk without getting any rest before the dance and Yang had to nearly beat some sense into you. It's time to accept help Blake. You make your choices as we make our own. So I'll let you think on your own."

As he said those words the doctor exited the room with a smile on his face. A warm smile that wasn't too big, but enough to give some hope. "Your friend is going to be just fine, just don't let him move that arm too much."

"Thank you very much for everything," Strom said politely as the doctor left. "Come on Blake. Let's go see how he is doing."

They entered the room and find Sun resting peacefully on the couch. Strom smiled and left Blake there alone to let her think. He talked about what was on the scroll with Blake's parents before meditating again. He managed to fall asleep while meditating and for the first time in a long time, he was not haunted by any nightmares.

He was instead shown some images and scenes in his dreams. A boy who looked like he just got done farming heading out with a backpack and a sad look on his face as he traveled across the land. Strom had no idea why he was being shown this and the scene quickly changed. An image of Blake who looked like she had a new burning determination in her eyes was shown to him next. He hoped that she would get that look sooner rather than later. He wanted to know how everyone else was doing, but it was a dream so he could make anything happen, right?

"Show me what happens to Weiss please," Strom asked and the image changed to the home that she lived in. She was holding a case and her weapon as she tried to sneak out but was caught by a butler. He helped her to get to the library and opened a secret door and let Weiss through after a hug. Strom smiled at the scene and knew that she made the right decision. He overheard that she was heading to Mistral and he thought that perhaps that he could convince Blake to come over with him if they needed to go. The scene changed to show Ruby and Jaune looking at each other with a smile before the scene quickly changed to Ren and Nora holding hands. Strom wanted to see more but the images changed to a sunset image of a pair of hands, one yellow and black right robotic hand and he didn't get a look at what the other looked like. Strom felt like he had nothing to fear from that sight, but he could have sworn that the other hand had a metallic shine to it as well.

"It's time to wake up Strom," he heard a voice that he recognized as his mother's voice. "Today is the big day."

Strom opened his eyes and found himself inside the main house of the Belledonnas and overheard some shouting. He rushed to find both of Blake's parents eavesdropping on them, but the dad was more subtle about it than the mother, who was pressed up against the door like it was a fish. Soon the door gave way from the weight of the little woman and heard a shriek from Blake. Strom walked over to the open door and looked at Ghira.

"I think that you need a sturdier door," he said as the big man took a deep breath and let it out.

"Yeah you're right," he said as they all entered the room. "Blake, we wanted to talk to you about the White Fang. It would show that you were right, the White Fang are planning to make Haven fall as well. Adam Taurus is trying to overthrow the current leader and lead a full scale attack through Mistral. It will be like Beacon all over again."

"Not unless we destroy the White Fang," Sun said and silence ensued as they thought of how to do that.

"No," Blake said with that determined look in her eyes that Strom saw in his dreams. "We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."

' _Well, sometimes sooner is better than later,'_ Strom thought to himself as he smiled at Blake as everyone had her attention. _'Now I think that I can use this new determination to possibly get people together to begin my fight with Salem. I will have to be careful though because with fear comes Grimm.'_

Around the world of Remnant Team RWBY, Strom, the remaining members of Team JNPR, and the boy from Strom's dream came to one thought.

' _It's time to take the next step forward.'_

 **A little bit of a short chapter, but I am happy with it and I hope that you are too. Now, I know that the season finale has yet to show and so many things could change. However I can't keep this story going any longer, not because I don't want to, but rather out of respect. Now I will be working up a new story for you all to enjoy (I hope). I will keep it a surprise for what it will be about. Currently working on it as you read this sentence.**

 **=======|=o|SirArondight|o=|======**


	30. Chapter 27

**Okay, I say welcome back to Fighting Fury. This WILL BE the last chapter before I set this story on the shelf to collect dust before the end of Volume 5. It's been bugging me how short my chapters have been for This is Remnant and maybe a return to my roots of writing might help me, or not, I can't guarantee success from the quick break. Anyways, I hope that you all can enjoy this Chapter and I hope that I can make the feelings quite strong in this one.**

 **Chapter 27: The Letter**

Yang woke up feeling refreshed and put on her arm. She grabbed her new Ember Celica that she made and brought it outside. She brought out black and yellow spray paint cans to color her new gauntlet. After getting everything colored and reassembling her weapon, she looked at it and then back to her arm and then checked on how much paint she had left. A smile spread on her face with the idea she had. She removed her arm and began to color it the same colors as her weapons. She looked at her handiwork when she was done spraying and admired her work. She looked at the shed and thought about leaving to go out into the world. She entered to bring out Bumblebee and thought to herself about the last time she rode her motorcycle. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"So, I guess that this is where you try to stop me from leaving?" Yang asked knowing that her dad would get in her way of leaving.

"Well no, I'm still a little sore from our last session. However, I just want to ask you something. Where are you going?" His question seemed to have the intentions of a father who wanted to stop someone from leaving.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked slightly confused. "I thought that you said that you wouldn't stop me."

"And I did, but I do know that Ruby is in Mistral and that Qrow did tell you where your mother is, despite being told numerous times not to." Taiyang said in an annoyed tone when he got to Qrow and what he did. "So, I know that it's your choice, since you are grown up, but 'where' are you going?"

"Well, I think that I will go after Ruby." Yang answered after thinking about her paths to take. "Actually, make that will. I will be going to Ruby."

"Okay then, thank you for letting me know beforehand at least." Taiyang said and Brought Yang in for a hug. "Please talk to me before you leave, I have something that you need to see."

"What is it dad?" Yang asked curious to what she was going to see.

"Well, consider it a second chance." Taiyang said and it mystified Yang. Her answer that she received only left for more questions. "And I'm sure that Lily and Boran would like to say goodbye to you as well, so just remember those things before you head out, okay?"

"O-okay," she responded sounding lost and dazed as she still tried to figure out what he meant by second chance. _'What second chance? There's no way that he knows how to grow arms. He can't turn back time unless he made a machine. What is it? I'll see when I leave, I guess.'_

Yang picked out her clothes to take with her before heading out to Mistral. She admired herself in the mirror and placed a glove over her right arm. She didn't want the first thing that everyone sees is a girl that lost her arm. She has been feeling more confident since her sparring with her father after Beacon fell. She cleaned Bumblebee, picked up her aviators and made her way over to her dad to say goodbye.

"Well I'm about to leave, so what was it that you wanted to show me?" She asked her dad, who was holding a letter. When she saw the letter, everything became clear as day and what he meant by second chance.

"I know that you threw this away, but I couldn't just let you live in regret and never know what the letter said. So after that night I went out and got it and held onto it so that you can read it." He said and handed the letter with her name on it. She knew the handwriting belonged to Strom.

She looked at it for a while in silence before looking at her dad and hugged him. "Thank you so much for everything dad, for helping me grow up and supporting me throughout life. I think that with this I might be able to rest easy and I hope that Strom can find it in himself to forgive me."

"I think he already has Yang." Taiyang said returning the hug and held her for a while. "Well, I think that you should get going soon. Need anything and have everything?"

"Yes, now I do." Yang said holding up the letter with her right hand. "I have everything."

"Okay, just checking." He said as they stepped out the door. "Don't forget to talk to Lily and Boran before leaving."

"I won't." She responded getting onto Bumblebee and started it up.

"Do you have clean underwear?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"DAD!" Yang shouted turning pink in embarrassment.

"Just kidding. Good luck out there Yang, and make sure to stay safe." He shouted as she revved the motorcycle and left him to watch a yellow and brown spot grow smaller. "Take care Yang. And take care of Ruby when you find her."

He entered the empty house with a small frown on his face. His eyes looked around at the family photos and remembered where each one was taken and the occasion for it. Ruby and Yang covered in cookie dough with bright smiles when they were younger, the first picture of them with Zwei when they got him, a family photo with all of them smiling for the holidays. Tears fell from his eyes as the memories both good and bad ran through his mind. He sat down on the couch and placed his elbows on his knees and saw Zwei walk up to him and lay down at his feet looking up with a sad face.

"You miss them too Zwei?" He said picking up the Corgi and let him lay on his lap as he petted the dog from the head all the way down his back. "Well, all kids grow up someday Zwei, some sooner than others. I guess that mine are those who had to grow up sooner. I just hope that they return home safe and sound."

Yang was riding down the road remembering what her dad had said to her. A tear fell and she smiled as memories came into her mind before the town of Patch got into view.

"Thanks again dad, I hope that any letters that we send will reach you, or that the CCT gets fixed and we can call you again." She said before turning to find the Teitsia house in view. "Well, here to hoping that they're home."

When she knocked on the door, she was greeted by Mona. The rest of the family quickly gathered around for a goodbye when they learned that Yang was leaving for Mistral.

"We wish you the best of luck Yang. Go out into the world and when you find Strom, tell him that the next time he leaves without saying goodbye to us, I will be hunting after him and dragging him home by the gills." Mona said in a sickening sweet tone that was holding back some anger from his actions. She opened her eyes and gave Yang a soft hug. "Please bring him home safe. I don't know what I would do if I lost him now."

"It's alright Mona, this is Yang we're asking, but it would be unfair of us to make her shoulder all of this responsibility. She has to make sure that Ruby is safe." Darrel said with a soft smile. "And did you forget that our son is one heck of a fighter? He did fight on the frontlines on that sad day after all."

"Your right Darrel, I'm sorry Yang." Mona said with tears in her eyes and broke off from the embrace. "Funny, it's like saying goodbye to one of my children or a really close friend."

"I do see her as a big sister." Boran said trying to hold his tears back as he recalled the memories he and Lily made over the past eight months. "Come back as soon as you can okay?"

"I will so don't you worry too much. I need someone to be strong for the others, Boran." Yang said giving both Boran and Lily a hug. "And Lily, try to worry about you as well. You can't always meddle in other people's business, but I'm happy that you helped me out."

"You're welcome Yang, and I will try to learn more about the brain and emotions so I can help more people with their problems." She said with a smile. "Good luck and kick some butt out there."

"Don't worry I'll make sure that I kick everyone's butt out there." Yang said before leaving. "I will make sure that Strom gets back here safe."

"We know that you will do your best." Mona said as Yang got on her motorcycle. "Come on food is getting cold- OH WAIT YANG."

"What?" Yang asked afraid from the loud voice she just heard.

"Let me get you something for the road. A little taste of home should help out." Mona said before rushing inside and brought out a basket of fruits, honey, bread, and beef jerky. "Here you go, everything is fresh and make sure to eat the fruits first. They will go bad otherwise."

A smile grew on Yang's face from the consideration and thought that was placed into the basket as she took it. She gave one last hug to Mona before starting Bumblebee and rode off to the shipyard. She bought a ticket from Patch to Mistral and boarded the boat with her bike. She took a moment to breathe and think about everything she may have to do and who she might find on her way or when she does arrive at Mistral.

' _Oohhh, what am I going to say if I see Blake or Strom? What am I going to tell Ruby? Should I bring them home as soon as possible?'_ Yang thought to herself as she bit an apple. _'Maybe I should hear them out first before coming to conclusions.'_

She continued to think about what she would do throughout the day and as night was coming one of the female crew members was having a nice conversation with Yang until they were called for work again, which left Yang to tend to Bumblebee, a basket of food for well wishes, and an unopened letter from Strom that she has yet to read. She sat down on the bed and brought out the letter from her bag and looked at it. She was about to open it when she heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Yang asked as she walked to the door and opened it. "Oh, it's you Elizabeth. What brings you here?"

"Oh I just got off of work for the night and thought that you may want to pick up where we left off, if that is alright by you." She said a little timidly knowing that Yang might want some sleep.

"Yeah, I'm okay with that. I was just about to read a letter anyways." Yang said before the girl barged into her room uninvited.

"OH, maybe we could read it together?" she asked with a wink that Yang would have given to boys that interested her long ago.

"Look, I know that you're a nice girl, but I would like to see what my friend has written to me first and maybe think about what I said to him when we broke up." Yang said putting a hand up, signaling that she was not interested. "I can't believe it remained unopened for eight months."

She tore through the top of the envelope with care to make sure that the letter wouldn't be damaged. She brought out the letter and unfolded it to see what she had a second chance to read. She read the words that he took time to carefully write them down with his heart stitched into each and every vowel.

 _Dear Yang, my Princess of the Sun,_

 _I guess this is how people will have to be contacting each other from long distance now. I hope that the CCT can get fixed soon. Well, that's enough small talk, or in this case small writing. I know that it was not smart of me to just leave without saying goodbye, and it was not smart of me to leave you. I can't even begin to say sorry for leaving. And I don't expect easy forgiveness from you either. I am training at Aria and when I'm done, I will be heading over to Mistral. I think that is where Cinder will strike next, and if it isn't her then someone she works with._

 _I have a good feeling that you are mad and sad and a mixed jumble of emotions like I am right now. Our feelings may be the same, but we have them for different reasons. I'm angry, very angry about everything that happened that day, from Pyrrha's and Penny's death to you losing a part of you, from watching people die because of the Grimm and watching Vale burn to watch someone who I once called a friend die in front of me. I am angry about it and I know you are too. We have to let these feelings go sometimes to grow, but I want to hold onto them so that I do not forget that day and that moment._

 _Feelings, they are very strange and how they work. Sometimes, we're happy and want to help spread joy to others. And sometimes we're sad and need comfort from others to cope with the pain. Then there's that feeling whenever I see you, Yang. When I first met you, I thought of you as a friend. Then I got the wonderful opportunity to get to know you and the rest of team RWBY and JNPR. After that came Torchwick and Blake running away. I was so worried about your health as well as Blake. We had fun on the beach and I think it was then when my feelings for you began to develop and that night when we fought Torchwick under the highway, something happened to me when I saw you get punched. I only heard protect and destroy going through my mind. I wanted to protect you with everything I had at the time. And judging by how the clean-up crew tried to scrape it off of the ground, I would say that it was destroyed pretty well by all of us. After that, I knew that I had fallen for you._

 _I may have not made any advances at all since we were both trying to become hunters and huntresses, but that all changed just before the dance. When I heard that you were taken and being held hostage with your life at risk I just couldn't risk you leaving the world without experiencing everything that it had to offer, and I couldn't live with myself if I never told you how I feel for you. It would have been my biggest regret in my life._

 _We've all been through a lot over the first year of becoming more prepared to fight against the Grimm. I wish that I could be with you right now and help out, but at the same time I'm scared that you might get hurt because of me. The last thing I want for you is to be hurt and in pain, and yet here I am not helping you when you are in pain and hurting. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to break up with me, or actually doing so whenever we find each other again. In the end of it all I want you to know this Yang._

 _I love you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Strom Teitsia or your Sunfish_

Yang put the letter down and smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks. Elizabeth also saw the time and feelings put into the letter as she saw watermarks on the letter. She knew that they must be tears, just from the size alone. She turned to see Yang's face and tears and frowned.

"I'm sorry about my behavior and advances." She said to Yang. "I guess that I must have caught cabin fever or something like that. I'll leave you be now, and again sorry about being forward."

"It's no problem. I was slightly forward with Strom when I met him." Yang said remembering when they met. "I know that everyone has someone out there for them. I just hope that Strom could be the one for me."

"Well, I think that he is waiting for you. At least that is what I am getting from this letter here." Elizabeth said smiling alongside Yang. "I hope that I can meet my person someday, the sooner the better."

"Ha ha, well that would be nice for you, and who knows they might even be on this ship right now." Yang said with a grin.

"Yeah, well I should go now and make sure that my stuff is still where I placed it." Elizabeth said before walking to the door. "Take care Yang and I hope the best for the two of you."

"Thanks take care as well." Yang called out as she heard the door open and heard two people crash onto the floor. She rushed to the door to make sure everyone was unharmed. "Is everyone alright?!"

She saw Elizabeth and a guy around her age tangled on the ground together. He was on top of her in a slightly sexual way as one of his hands was pinning her down by her shoulder.

"Well this is a predicament." Yang said and leaned on the side of the doorframe.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was in a rush to make sure that my friend doesn't prank my luggage." He said hoping that who he had run into wouldn't be too upset. "Here let me help you up."

"It's fine, I'm alright and all and uuhhhh," Elizabeth looked into his eyes and felt something spark inside of her.

"Ehmm, let me see if I can make this up to you in anyway." The guy said before looking through his wallet before Elizabeth placed both of her hands onto his.

"It's alright. Maybe we can get some coffee and talk to each other tomorrow?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Oh, that sounds nice. Well have a nice night, and I will see you at the diner room tomorrow morning." He said with a smile and feeling relaxed before walking in a slight hurry. Elizabeth left after him, leaving Yang standing there with a smile on her face.

"Life is strange after all." She muttered to herself before closing the door for the night.

"You know Strom, I have never seen you go all out and put everything you have into a blast of fire before." Black said as he and White meditated floating off the ground with Strom trying to achieve the same feat. "Come on you doing great just put a little more magic into levitating."

"Easy to say, hard to execute," Strom said slightly agitated about all the questions and the lack of his own concentration. "Only once I have let it all out. It was at the breach of Vale before its fall. I even managed to push past my limits and had blue flames for a period of time."

"Maybe you should try pushing yourself to the limits again. Who knows, you may just be able to earn those beautiful blue flames again." White said and Strom fell onto the ground. "You lost concentration again Strom."

"I know, I know," Strom said sighing in defeat. "This is very frustrating and I think that some stress relief is called for."

"Oh boy, my favorite part is coming up." Black said excited and watched Strom stand up and get ready to unleash a stream. "You should do a big one this time."

"Okay that sounds like a lot of good and fun." Strom said and held his hands up. "Can we project the Grimm dragon from the fall of Beacon and see how much damage this would do?"

"Alright, but don't put too much stress on yourself." White said before showing the dragon from that night. Strom released a great stream of flames that expanded greatly and managed to keep expanding from the palms of his hands until it covered the entirety of the dragon's face.

"Oooh hoohoohooo, this is the best one you shown so far Strom." Black said with sparkling yellow eyes and saw the fire spread even more. "Impressive."

Strom started to feel some strain as the fire kept on growing out from his palms and began to feel that strain that he did on the day of the breach. He remember the rush, the desperation and the desire to protect again as a final burst of flames came out and easily consumed the dragon in entirety. However when he stopped, the dragon stood there as if nothing happened.

"Is that how much training I need? I barely left a mark on it." Strom said panting as he looked at the giant Grimm. "I guess I really need to focus on my semblance and combat as well."

"That might help out a lot in the end." White said before thinking about the when this might all be over. "Strom, what are you going to do when all of this is over?"

"To be honest, I think that the gem that we're in would take my life unless I do not rely on it at all. Unfortunately, I think that I will have to if I don't feel ready enough or am being overwhelmed."

"Well, you are the best company we've had since… forever actually. You are the first person to manage to let me overtake them and go on a rampage." Black said remembering the day. "And I lost to the four others on your team… wow, am I 'that' out of shape for that to happen?"

"We both are more than likely." White said still in a meditative state.

"Wait, what about Caden?" Strom asked since he was the person who owned the gem before him. "Hasn't he ever been able to contact you?"

"Who is Caden?" Black asked looking towards his light counterpart for an answer, but he only got a shrug in response. "Yeah, we don't know anyone on a personal level besides you Strom. Then again, it doesn't help that we don't remember much about that one guy that started with a T, and even then he didn't even bother to say hi. He just walked up to us and walked away."

"I think he was called, but I don't remember clearly enough." White said coming back onto the ground. "However, you should remain constant about your training, Strom. You must be ready for what is to come"

"Gah, you're right, but I will tell you about Caden." Strom said as they got back to training with magic and semblance.

"You're friend is certainly interesting and spiritual Blake." Kali said as she watched Strom meditate for the past few hours in the pond. "Won't he have to come up to breathe?"

"Well, since he has fish gills, I would say that he could live underwater or on the land." Blake responded as she searched through a box that had her possessions from the White Fang. "Ah, there is the old flag."

"What is his longest time underwater? Ooh, what is his longest time meditating?" Kali began asking questions to Blake while looking at Strom with curiosity. "Also who do you plan to get married with?"

"MOM?!" Blake shouted turning pink with embarrassment. "Strom is my teammate and I do not think he is quite over his last relationship yet."

"Oh… well what about Sun?" Kali asked continuing making Blake redder and redder. "He seems very interesting too."

"Mom, please stop." She groaned and closed the box and put it away. "Besides, I can tell that dad does not like him already before he actually said it."

"Oh, Ghira can get over himself about that. I think that Sun would be good for you." Kali said turning towards Blake with a serious look on her face. "He wants to keep an eye on both of them, just in case."

"Where is dad anyways?" Blake asked since she hasn't seen her dad after the morning meeting.

"Eh, I think he wanted to talk to Sun about something." Kali said as Blake paled.

"Oh no,"

 **I hope that you all have enjoyed this week's Chapter and unfortunately this will be the last 'Official' chapter of this story. And here are some quick omakes that I thought of while writing this chapter.**

 **Omake: Ruby's Dictionary**

Jaune found Ruby looking through a dictionary at the Haven academy library. She looked through the book quickly, trying to find out what the word means.

"Hey Ruby, What are you doing here?" Jaune asked before seeing the book she had. "And why are you looking through the dictionary?"

"I have to find out what that Tyrion guy said to me after I cut off his tail." Ruby said with a determined look on her face as she searched the B section. "Where is it?"

Jaune paled and tried to coax her away from the word. "Hey Ruby, how about we get some cookies and-"

"Found it!" Ruby said and read the definition of what she was called and then slammed the book down. "Jaune, do I look like a female dog to you?!"

 **Omake: Do it Outside**

Strom was meditating on the floor inside the house with Sun panting and sweating nervously. Stroms hands stretched outwards and fire began to show.

"BLAKE HE'S DOING IT AGAIN!" Sun shouted and began to drag Strom outside to save the house. Blake came running as fast as she could and helped Sun carry Strom. When they got him outside, they laid him on his back and waited for the fire to come. The watched the fire stream from his hands and how it parted the clouds. After the fire died and Strom put his hands down, Blake and Sun took him back inside and put him back where he was. An hour later Strom finished up, stretched out and saw Blake and Sun scowling at him.

"What?" Strom asked slightly worried something happened.

"THE NEXT TIME YOU MEDITATE, TAKE IT OUTSIDE!" They both shouted at the same time.


	31. Volume 5

**Wow. I have been gone longer than I could ever expect. Well hopefully with Volume 5 coming up soon I can get back into gear. I won't be able to do weekly updates anytime soon. And I have to apologize to all of my readers for not living up to what I promised. I want to be more accurate from now on. Anyways here's a little chapter that I hope you all will enjoy.**

 **Short: Memories**

Blake and Sun were out looking for some of the White Fang members who were in Menagerie. They were going to try and take in one of the members to get answers about the plans that they saw on the Scroll that they retrieved from their fight with Ilia. Strom was back at the house of the Belledonnas. However, he's been not as active as Blake and Sun.

"I can't believe that he's been meditating for three days straight now." Sun complained as the two continued to walk through the crowd towards a knife stand where the White Fang member was. "Maybe we could drown him in water?"

"Sun… you do remember that he can breathe underwater right?" Blake said while making sure that she doesn't bump into anyone. "Look I don't know when he will come out of it but we can't just wait around for him. We have to do things ourselves too you know."

"I know, but he could be helping us right now. Three people will definitely be able catch one person. And more if you want to include my clones." Sun said a little agitated at Strom. However he was more focused on the target. "Shall we?"

While Sun and Blake were going after the White Fang member Strom was hovering in the main room of the Belledonna household. Occasionally, Kali would watch Strom as he continued to float up and down. Ghira sometimes watched alongside, but most of his time was spent with helping Blake. However Strom was alone at this time. He had a calm expression on his face and wasn't wearing his band over his eyes. When Blake's parents asked how he gotten that scar over his eyes she remember the story between Adam and Strom. She told her parents the same story that Strom told her team on the Bullhead when they went on their first official mission. That same story often made her wonder if Adam was beyond saving, if he still had a chance at redemption. It's still a thought that keeps on crossing her mind.

Strom was alone in the strange world of black and white as his mind clouded with thoughts and questions about the gem and the two entities that live inside of it. What are they capable of? What was he capable of? What new limits could he reach or surpass? Why were they even in the gem to begin with? Every time he meditates he learns something new or a new ability that the gem is capable of more questions come up.

"It's like a puzzle that keeps on growing with every level solved." Strom said in the void as his voiced echoed. "Just how powerful can I become? Do I want to become this powerful? I'm not certain if I want to become powerful. My semblance is already powerful, but it is also very destructive too. And I know that this can be destructive too, but it can also bring life. I wonder if… maybe I should stop talking to myself."

He continued to meditate and focus on the power of the Gem for what seemed forever until he thought it was time to take a break. As he opened his eyes he came to see two amber eyes staring right back at him.

"Hello Blake." Strom said in a polite manner.

"You have been like that for nearly five hours since we got back from our attempt to get some answers from anyone who is in the White Fang, Strom."

"Oh, sorry, and I'm guessing by how I feel the tension levels from everyone that it did not end well?" He asked knowing that things were tense.

"Pretty much, we went out to try to get answers and all we have to show for is that Ilia has kept on interfering with every attempt." Blake said as she looked towards the floor.

"Yeah, even Ghira and Sun have managed to come to an agreement about the White Fang, which seeing that they could agree on anything is something special." Kali said with a small smile.

"Well, I am sorry again." Strom said as he finally noticed something outside. "It's a lovely evening out tonight."

"Yeah, I'll probably go out and get some time to think." Blake said as she went upstairs.

"I'm going to go outside for a walk." Strom said as he left while taking his bag.

"Why are you taking your belongings Strom?" Sun asked. "You better not be planning on leaving."

"Sun, I'm just going for a walk, and hopefully these weapons that I am carrying will deter anyone from trying to attack me. Not saying that I expect to be attacked in this lovely town, but I can't be certain that I won't ever be attacked. And here, as incentive to come back I'll leave this box here." Said Strom as he placed down the box from his bag and went to the door. "The box holds a gift that I really want to give to someone. So I'll be back for it."

He left and closed the door behind him before he got an ominous feeling. He quickly opened the door and said, "Sun! Don't even think about opening the box. I can tell who opened it because their aura will be left on the box longer than fingerprints"

The door closed again and Sun retreated slowly from the box with a guilty smile plastered on his face. "What? I wasn't got to open the box. Pfft. That's un-cool to do. Look through someone else's belongings."

"I highly doubt that." Ghira said before heading towards his studies room.

"Hopefully that fib will keep Sun away from the box." Strom said hoping that the box will remain unopened. He walked out through the lush jungle to find a spot to train in. "Well, time for practice."

Strom wasn't the only one to be out at night, walking around. A certain color changing Faunus was watching him and following him. They continued to go through the forest before Strom came to a stop. He turned to face where Ilia was hiding.

"You know that I can see you right?" Strom said as she stepped out from her hiding position with her weapon at the ready. "You can relax; I don't intend to fight today… hopefully."

"So can I ask what you are doing out here?" She asked narrowing her eyes as she calculated the distance for her weapon to Strom.

"I was going out for a walk and to make sure that I am not losing my touch of fighting and sparring." Strom said since it was his original plan. "However I get the feeling that you have the intentions of not letting me go easily."

"You and Blake need to leave." Ilia said with her gaze not seeming to ease up. "Blake's plan is not going to work, so leave now."

"Well, it's a risk that we'll have to take I guess." Strom said as he stretched. "And from your gaze, I can tell that you are going to try to force me to leave and then try to convince Blake that she needs to do the same."

"Well, you have things backwards, I already visited Blake." Ilia said and lowered her weapon a little but still had a firm grip on her weapon. "So, I won't be afraid to use force against you."

"I figured, but didn't want to assume." Strom said while he shrugged. "So, you were able to bring some friends to try to help 'convince' me to leave. And yes, I can see that all of you are well armed for fighting. So, while I would love to test my limits, I would rather not try to hurt anyone."

"So the rumors were not false." Ilia said as other members came out from hiding. "You are capable of seeing more than anyone, despite being blind."

"Yes, I am. It's kind of common knowledge at this point." Strom muttered before speaking up. "So, I'm guessing that this wasn't a get on a ship and leave deal?"

"You need to leave, period end of story." Ilia said as they began to surround Strom.

"Alright, but I'm warning you all, what happens next is on you." Strom said as he was swarmed with White Fang members.

The fight begun with Strom holding back and trying to knock out his opponents quickly, but he was a little surprised at the skill level of the people he was fighting. Most of his attacks were either blocked of deflected to do minimal damage. He quickly learned that when he nearly missed a knife stab for his throat.

"If you think that we were amateurs, then you will pay for your misjudgment!" A member with a rhino horn said and managed to knock Strom to the ground with a shoulder. He then flipped Strom over on his stomach and held his arms behind him. "Ha, so much for the warning you gave us! Look like you should have- HOT HOT HOT!"

Strom activated his semblance to his arms and quickly heated them up to catch on fire. The sudden heat caught the member by surprise and got them off of him. "You are right, I shouldn't have been going so easy on you all, but I guess that this is the point where I test out my new abilities."

"Heh, I don't think so." A member said and gave a hand signal and Ilia looked a little confused at the signal. "Ilia, take the stab at him."

"Okay, but remember we can't kill him." Ilia said and went in to strike at his limbs. Fortunately, Strom was able to dodge the strike, but then felt a pain in his side of his leg. He looked down to find it bleeding from a wound of a bullet.

"So, this was your plan from the start." Strom said as he put pressure onto the wound and tried to stand but then fell down in pain.

"What, I don't get it." Ilia said as another member brought out a gun.

"It's simple; we were given orders from a higher authority that we agree more with. So, we are finishing up the mission." The member said as he took aim at Strom's head. "It'll be good to know that he won't be able to stop us ever again.

A silenced shot rang out for a short distance to minimize the sound it produced. The bullet pierced the ground and all that was left was a pool of blood.

"Wait, where did he go?" Ilia asked and looked around for signs of Strom.

"Wait, he can teleport or something like that?" The member who shot at Strom asked angrily. "There was no mention of that ability at all!"

"I thought he only had one Semblance! How could someone have two?" The Rhino Faunus asked.

"I can't even smell his scent anywhere on the island." A dog faunus said as he sniffed the air quietly.

"Where did he go?" Ilia asked.

 **Hmm, I do wonder where Strom went? Well I hope that you all have enjoyed this and I will see you all next time.**

 **But first I need to thank every one of you who has followed or favorited this story. It'll be good to know that you all cared enough to wait along with me for the new season. And I thank all of you who read this story to this point. Hopefully with more episodes that go by I will be able to continue the story. Until then, SirArondight riding off.**


	32. Volume 5: Chapter 2

**Welcome back to another installment to Fighting Fury. I hope that I didn't leave you off with too big of a cliffhanger, but just enough to keep things interesting. I hope that you all can come to enjoy this volume 5 as much as I will if not more than me. With that being said, I'll let you all continue the story.**

 **Chapter 28:**

"Owwww, that's going to hurt." Strom said as he turned over onto his right side. He looked at his left leg, where the bullet entered in his thigh. "So, they might have used a bullet to penetrate my aura; fantastic. So, the bigger question is where am I?"

He looked around to find nothing but trees and a single path of traveled road. The scenery was beautiful to look at: plenty of flowers and shrubs with wildlife to see, a gentle breeze swaying the grass back and forth. The smell of the forest was very different from what he was normally used too. The air was cool and comfortable. He got lost in the moment of safety that he stood up only to feel the pain of the bullet wound in his leg flare up.

"TCH! DANG!" he shouted in agony and he knew that he had to slow the bleeding. He ripped up his pants to get a better look at the wound. He then used what he ripped off from the pant leg to apply pressure to the wound and to help with the bleeding. "Too bad I can't just sear the wound closed to stop the bleeding. Heh heh, something that would be useful right now I can't do. The few downsides of my semblance."

"So, I need to figure out where I am, how far I am from any medical help, and how I managed to get here." Strom said to himself out loud.

' _Well, to be short and simple, you created a portal underneath yourself to escape your assassins.'_ A familiar voice chimed in his head that he got to get familiar with. _'Unfortunately, you will only get one or two of those per week. It takes up a lot of energy from the core of the Jewel.'_

"Black, is that you?" Strom said while checking his bandaging. "And what do you mean by a portal, wait, was that the gem's power?"

' _Yes it was. So, you can use it. Hooray! However, you just thought about being with someone close to you.'_ Black said while chuckling a little. _'Also, you might want to crawl your way to the road… like now before your ride drives by.'_

"What?" Strom said as he heard an engine roaring in the distance. "Oh crap!"

He began to scrabble his way towards the road as the sound of the engine was getting closer. When the vehicle came into his sight, he paused. He knew that aura all too well. Yang, she was driving her motorcycle through the road and wasn't going to slow down for anything. He got lost in the moment again before the sound got louder and he wasn't at the road yet. He began to push with his right leg to give him a better chance to be seen, however she was driving too fast.

"Gah, I need to get her attention somehow." He said and as she was getting closer and closer. "I hope that this won't upset her too much."

Strom had to create a path of fire that went perpendicular to the road that Yang was driving on. Once the red flames had crossed the road he made them flare up an extra seven feet high. He heard a screeching of tires. He smiled when he heard her silently curse and examine the area for where the flames originated from. Strom continued to make his way towards the road and rustle the bushes he was near. The noise made Yang turn her head and ready her weapons and trained them towards the bush.

"You have a lot of guts to try and stop me from finding who I am looking for!" Yang shouted as she waited for what seemed to be a while as the rustling seemed to continue on. "For crying out loud, how long are you planning to take?!"

"Sorry, I hate to keep you waiting, but unfortunately I may have gotten into a little… scuffle." Strom said with a nervous smile as his arms and head popped out from the bushes. "Hi Yang…"

"Strom?!" Yang shouted in surprise and took a step back. "Is- is that you?"

"Yeah… it is." Strom said and let the flames die out without harming the wildlife in any way. "So, I know that you have some questions for me."

"Some might be an understatement." Yang replied and began to relax knowing that she was in no danger. "So, I guess I should start off with why are you crawling?"

"Well, I may have gotten shot in my left leg." Strom said laughing a little before cringing in pain a little. "To be honest it happened just recently. As in maybe ten minutes ago."

"Okay and who shot you so I can beat them into paste?!" Yang shouted enraged as her hair seemed to burst into flames and her eyes went to a crimson red. She stayed like that for a second before remembering what her father said about her emotions controlling her and she calmed down.

"Wow, I am impressed Yang." Strom said smiling about the progress she has made.

"Thanks, but you still need to answer my question." She replied and crossed her arms.

"Well, I was in Menagerie going out to train-" Strom started before Yang cut in.

"Wait, but you're in Mistral." She said raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure about what you are about to say?"

"So that's where I ended up in." Strom said continuing to pull himself onto the road and sat upright. "And yes, I was in Menagerie to train with what I have discovered from the gem that I absorbed to see what more I was capable of."

"Okay, any reason why you were in Menagerie?" Yang asked while taking a look at Strom's leg and went to Bumblebee to get a first aid kit. "Here, let me help you get patched up a little while you explain."

"Thank you and I still have the bullet in my leg so we'll have to find someone to take it out. Anyways, I was in Menagerie with Blake and Sun visiting her parents when I decided to go out and train. Next thing I knew was that I saw that I was being followed by members of the White Fang and at first just only one person wanted me to leave." Strom explained a little as Yang worked on the bullet wound. "And it turns out that everyone else had a different idea in mind. I was shot in the leg with an aura negating bullet and then I must have willed myself to be someplace else."

"So, you brought yourself to a random place of the world where you have not been yet?" Yang asked trying to piece together how Strom would will himself here.

"Well, to be precise, I somehow created a portal to where I wanted to be the most." Strom said and watched Yang look at him wanting him to add more to his statement. "And where I wanted to be more than anywhere else was… with you."

Yang turned her head and let her hair cover her face as she blushed heavily and continued to work on the wound and dripped some peroxide onto the wound.

"YIKES! That stings a little." Strom cried out a little, before he had a question of his own. "Wait, what are you doing here in Mistral?"

"Well, I finally had two little siblings of yours help me out a little from myself." Yang said as she finished putting the bandages on. "So I hopped on my bike, made promises to bring both you and Ruby back. I would say that I am halfway done finding you two."

"Yang, you and I both know that we're not going to let the same thing happen to Haven like what happened to Beacon." Strom said and tried to stand up again only to fall over a little and didn't fall to the ground because Yang caught him.

"I think we need to get you to a place where someone can help get that bullet out." Yang said as they walked over to the bike.

"Well, this brings back memories." Strom said remembering Junior's bar on the night they fought Roman in the Atlesian mecha Paladin.

"Yeah, I like having your arms around my waist." Yang said remembering the past. "You are quiet warm, you know?"

"I do know, and I know that you are warm too." Strom said as they got onto the motorcycle.

"So, what's in the bag?" Yang asked and started up her motorcycle and handed Strom a helmet and put one on herself as well.

"Just some gifts for everyo-nooooooooooo!" Strom shouted as a sudden realization hit him harder than the bullet. "I left yours back in Menagerie! I'm so sorry Yang."

"Well, I'm sure that we can get it later, like when we head out to Menagerie or who knows Blake and Sun might bring it with them." Yang said as they started to take off. "Hold on Strom, we'll stop at the first place we find to see if someone can help you."

And so they began to drive through the woods to find help for Strom's wound. The wind blowing through their hair was pleasant and fragrant. Strom wrapped his arms around Yang's waist and felt her firm abdomen through her clothes. He blushed and tried to think about the situation, but he just felt safer now so his mind wandered a little. Yang was also blushing as she felt Strom's strong arms gently wrap around her. She began to have thoughts about being carried in his arms, but quickly distracted herself with other thoughts, like her mother. They both continued to ride through the woods trying to distract themselves from each other.

Blake and Sun have waited for Strom to return for over two hours since he has left to train. Sun was curious about the box that Strom had left behind, but was concerned since it was quite late and he has yet to return. Blake went out to look for Strom, alone and shortly encountered Ilia again.

"What do you want now?" Blake asked upset about her last encounter with Ilia. "We won't be deterred from what we will say tomorrow."

"It's about your friend, the blind one." Ilia said and saw Blake react to what she was going to say. "He's not here in Menagerie anymore."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked as she pulled out her weapon.

"Somehow, he managed to escape us from what I thought was supposed to be a capture mission. However, a black and white hole opened up beneath him and then he was gone."

"What? And what were you doing following him around?" Blake asked now having her weapon drawn out and ready to protect herself.

"As I said before I thought it was supposed to be a capture mission, but I was left out of the loop and it was really an assassination mission." Ilia said turning her back towards Blake and was about to leave. "I'm still warning you Blake. Leave now, before you come to regret it."

Blake would have retorted but she was still a little stunned that Strom was actually gone without any warning from him or any way to contact him. Or was there? She quickly pulled out her Scroll and went to call Strom and prayed that the CCT tower was working. The call had connected and she smiled as she heard the ringing. The scroll was picked up, but the voice she heard was surprising.

"Hello, this is Sun. So, can I ask why you are calling Strom, Blake?" Sun said as he was playing with the box that Strom left. "Also don't tell Strom, but I am playing with the box… and he's listening right now isn't he?"

"Actually…" Blake said and began to explain what she just learned to Sun. After the explanation was over, all Blake heard was a box being opened and then closed again. "Sun, you looked in Strom's box and then closed it, didn't you."

"Yeah… Just a ring inside of it though." Sun said, slowly putting two and two together. "Sooo, I'm thinking that this is for Yang. And I'm also thinking that you are agreeing with my thoughts while sighing that it took me this long to put it together."

Blake sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, you would be right. So, we have no idea where Strom is or if he is okay. I pray that he is alright, otherwise Yang might have all of our butts to kick."

"Wait, why mine?!" Sun asked loudly as Blake covered her face with her free hand.

"Well, I just have a feeling that Yang would kick both of our butts should she learn that we didn't even go out to spy on Strom." Blake said as they both thought about the idea.

"So I'm going to kick both Sun's and Blake's butts respectively." Yang said and sneezed.

"Bless you Yang." Strom said as they just stopped at a gas station. "But I also think that I should get a butt kicking too."

"Yeah, but they shouldn't have let you go alone at all." Yang said as she helped Strom inside the store. "Hello, we could use some help with a bullet wound."

"Well, it is fortunate for you two that I am trained to help out." The store owner said as he took a look at the leg. "I can pull out the bullet, but I promise that it'll hurt… a lot."

"Well, I'll have to take it then, since it's my only option." Strom said and sighed as they both passed one customer that was sitting at the counter like it was a bar.

"Don't forget my drink!" The loud customer said seemingly a little tipsy and laughed like an idiot.

"Yeah yeah, just let me take the young man in the break room first, then I will get your drink, but after that I need to help that man." The shopkeeper said ad helped Strom into a room and laid him on the table. "Sorry, I'll grab some things, get his drink and get over as soon as I can."

"Take your time, I'll just unwrap this bandage." Strom said as the store owner left to take care of the slightly drunk man and to go get the supplies that he needs. The store owner closed the door and began to help Strom with taking out the bullet. Yang waited at the counter and did everything in her power to ignore the drunken man.

"Hey there." The drunk man said eyeing Yang and her developed body. "You're a little young for a huntress, but you are quite the looker. Not too bulky, not too lean-"

"I'm just right." Yang finished while rolling her eyes. She turned to look at the door that Strom was in.

"MMMMMMMMMMRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Strom's voice could be heard from behind the door.

"I'm sorry, but I got the bullet out." The store owner said as he exited the room with a bloody bullet. "How long did you have that one in for?"

"Owwwww... about twenty to thirty minutes." Strom replied as he sat up and let his aura finally start mending the wound closed and fully healed. A great sigh of relief was heard. "That feels so much better now. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome. Thanks for being calm and collected about the situation and just staying still." The store owner said as he cleaned off the bullet. "Want to keep the bullet as a souvenir?"

"I will pass, but thanks." Strom said as he walked over to stand by Yang's side. "I hope I didn't make you worry too much."

"Well it's nice that you're with me now. It was a little boring traveling alone." She said as the drunk man was getting closer to her. "Also could we get two waters, please?"

"Sure let me get right on that." The bartender said and searched for the requested drinks under the counter.

"Seriously though, you have a nice body. What did you do to get it?" The man said as he looked at Yang with lust in his eyes and placed his hand on her lower back, dangerously close to her back assets.

Yang's eyes went straight to red and she turned and launched her right prosthetic hand into the man's teeth and launched him up and out of the store after bouncing around a few times. Strom saw one tooth fly off somewhere and was surprised at Yang's quick reflexes and her strength while the store keeper just saw everything with a big smile on his face.

"Thanks, he's been bugging me for a long time now." He said and put the drinks in front of them. "These are on the house."

Yang, whose eyes had returned to their normal lilac color, calmly took the bottles and handed one to Strom. "So, I was wondering if you knew where I could find someone."

"Well, I can't guarantee that I know where, but I can try. Who are you looking for?" The storekeeper asked. They continued to discuss about who Yang was looking for and after ten minutes, Yang and Strom left the store thanking the store keeper for everything. What they didn't expect was that the man that Yang punched out earlier was sitting near the window with a wide grin on his face, as if he knew something they didn't.

"I know where you can find who you are looking for." He said and stood up. "As a matter of fact I know exactly where to go."

"Oh, is that so?" Yang asked putting on her glasses and got onto her bike with Strom. "And what makes you think that we'll just believe you?"

"Because, what other sources can you talk to for information?" He said and knew that he won when Yang sighed a little.

"Fine, you can hop on behind Strom." Yang said and pointed to the back of the motorcycle with her thumb. "Sorry Strom." She whispered.

"It's alright; if he does anything funny again I'll give him the meaning of a hot seat." Strom whispered back with a small grin. The man hopped on the back of the motorcycle and it was able to hold all three of them. They began to drive off through the woods and stayed quiet until they needed any form of directions. Strom managed to doze off while keeping a strong grip on the bike.

He began to have visions of Ruby and her group. Ruby was fighting without her scythe against a boy who was younger than her by… two years perhaps? Both of their movements and attacks were sloppy and really needed some work done. Despite the poor display of hand to hand combat being shown, Ruby was managing herself quite well against the younger boy. She landed a few punches while her others were either blocked by the boy or missed entirely. Perhaps Strom was giving her a little bit too much credit, she did have more training than her opponent and her semblance would allow her to move very quickly.

Ruby finally managed to punch her opponent square in the face and sent him to the ground covering up his face, as if he didn't use his aura to protect him. It took a while but he managed to get back up and seemed different, but yet Strom recognized that Aura to be none other than the man who once ran Beacon Academy, Ozpin. The boy raised his arms and they began to fight again, but this time he was completely different and had total control of the battle. Now it seemed like he had countless years of experience and combat training. After a clash of the skulls Ruby went down and wasn't even able to land one punch on the boy with Ozpin's aura. After the match Ozpin's aura seemed to fade into the back of the mind and the boy just collapsed like he ran a marathon.

' _I remember how that feels when you are working on aura for the first time. Man, it took a lot out of me.'_ Strom said remembering when he first began to train in Aria.

"Hey, wake up Strom. We're here." Yang said as the man hopped off the motorcycle after they had stopped.

"Alright, you two can stay here. I'll be back." The man said and ran off into the woods.

"Better get ready, Strom." Yang said taking off her glove, revealing her prosthetic arm. "He's probably going to bring some friends."

"Yeah, since he did run off towards the direction of what I assume is their camp." Strom said surveying the area and began to think about something. "Say, maybe after this do you think that-"

"I can't believe how easy that was." The man missing a tooth said with a wicked grin. "Now, I think to pay back my missing tooth, we'll take your bike, after you two take your lumps. And for the girl… some fun as well."

Yang just inhaled sharply before turning to Strom. "Mind if I take care of them. I need to blow off a little steam."

"Sure, I won't get in your way." He said frowning at being interrupted and leaned against a tree. "Just make sure to leave one for me."

"Alright then, oh did you want to talk about something Strom?" Yang asked as she got Ember Celica out into gauntlet form.

"It can wait." Strom said trying not to show any sign of sadness.

"Okay then." Yang said before turning towards the bandits with a small frown on her face.

"Heh heh, I wouldn't be acting too tough if I we're you!" A bandit with a machete said running in to attack. "You only have one weapon to fight with, as well as one arm too!"

Yang's eyes flashed with a spark of life and a barrel sprung from her prosthetic arm. She swung her left fist straight into the gut of the bandit who rushed in and was launched into a female bandit holding a rifle. She dodged a shot fired from a pistol before two more bandits came up and began their attack. She was able to take care of them both of the bandits with ease and focused her sights on the bandit that shot at her. She dodged a punch from the bandit and countered with a right cross that landed the left cheek of the bandit and knocked them out cold. As time went by more bandits tried to rush in and attack but all that came were knocked out or beaten to a pulp and strewn out on the field. Strom just watched Yang and smiled a little. He was happy to see her be back in action. However his smile faded when he saw her left arm shake. His thoughts became cut off short as he felt a blade being up against his throat.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" The man who had lost a tooth shouted at Yang as he stood behind Strom with a gunblade being close to Strom's head. "Don't you move or your boy toy will get it!"

"Strom!" Yang shouted and turned with a look of concern on her face.

"I'm all right Yang." Strom said very calmly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Wow, you are really dumb aren't you?" The bandit said while he pressed the blade closer to Strom's head. "I'm using you to make her bend to my will!"

"Oh? Now, I was under the impression that you were the one who wasn't thinking with their brain."Strom said and began to use his semblance and concentrated on the handle of the gun. "You should really let go of that gun."

"YEEAAAAAAAAA!" The bandit screamed and dropped the gun which had a red glowing handle, as if it was lava. His pain quickly turned to surprise as now he was looking at Strom. "H-Hey, I'm sorry. Maybe we could talk this out?"

"Hmm, no." Strom said and punched the bandit hard enough to send him into another bandit that was about to get up.

The bandit spat out some blood and looked at the two with pure hatred. "You two are dead when Raven finds out about this!"

"Maybe, but then again I am her daughter." Yang said and watched as the bandit's face turned into straight horror.

"I'm dead…" the bandit said and seemed to go pale.

"So, shall we make our way over to the camp?" Strom said as the bandits were beginning to stir awake and walk back to the camp covered in bruises.

"Yeah," Yang said and took Bumblebee and walked it with Strom. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Emm, it can wait until we have less ears listening." Strom said and wished that the bandits didn't interrupt him the first time. "So, ready to go to the camp?"

"Yeah… I'm ready to say hi to mom…" Yang said like she wanted it over with as soon as possible. They made their way to the camp and helped the bandits over as well. And soon enough they were at the camp, home of the bandits. Yang left her bike outside of the gate and warned/threatened the bandits about messing with her bike. They were met with a bunch of eyes as they walked through the camp. They kept on walking through the camp and Strom noticed something very peculiar. An aura he was very well acquainted with.

"This is a very small world indeed." Strom muttered and went over to the aura as Yang kept on going to the big hut in the camp. As he arrived to the cage he was met with a very familiar face with a signature white ponytail on the side. "Weiss, what are you doing here?

"Weiss, is that truly you?" Strom asked and saw that she turned around.

"Oh my Oum, Strom." Weiss said and got close to the bars. "What are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story. So, how did you end up here?" Strom asked as a few bandits were coming over towards them.

"Hey back away from our huge future payment." A bandit with an eye patch said while flexing a little with his gun. "Unless if you're going to pay for her."

"I have to buy my teammate back from you guys?" Strom asked in disbelief of how cold some people could be to others and received a nod for an answer. "How much is she worth."

"Heh, she's worth more than you'll ever make! And what's with the stupid cloth over your eyes? Do you think it makes you look cool?" The other bandit said with a smile on his face.

"First off, I wear this to keep my eyes safe." Strom said getting slightly agitated about the tone of their voices. "Secondly, I have a counter offer for you. You let her go, and I won't make you sing a higher pitch than Weiss."

"I think that you're in over your head." The bandit said and aimed his rifle at Strom. "If you think that we'll just let this big chance go away you have another thing coming.

Just as the bandit said those words a man had come, flying through a tent and rolled across the ground unconscious. Everyone turned to look at who sent him flying and Strom smiled when he saw that Yang was the source of his flight.

"Oh, I forgot to mention Weiss, but Yang is here too." Strom said casually.

"Why didn't you mention that sooner?!" Weiss shouted loudly and Yang took some time to process what was going on.

"Weiss? What are you doing here?" She asked loudly before facing Strom. "And why didn't you tell me about this sooner?!"

"Well there goes being quiet about this." Weiss said and then summoned her knight and broke out of her cage and joined Yang.

"Well that was impressive." Strom said before walking over calmly to Yang and Weiss and looked at the black haired woman with crimson red eyes.

"Well you certainly are a surprise." Raven said while looking at Strom.

"Yes, and you… have... long hair like Yang." Strom said and made everyone including himself confused about what he just said. "Sorry, I don't know where I was going with that."

"Strom, please just stick to fighting well and leave the one-liners to me." Yang said slightly embarrassed. "So why did you have my teammate locked up?"

"Well, she was going to be ransomed back to her family." Raven said without even trying to come up with a different answer. "Why is that boy with you?"

"Strom is here because he somehow managed to create a portal to here. However he told me that it wasn't very reliable while we rode together." Yang said and placed her hands on her hips. "So, are you going to help us or not?"

"Who are you to tell our leader what to do?!" A young girl said while holding Weiss's weapon. "I would watch your tongue around her if I were you!"

Strom examined the girl who was holding Weiss's weapon and studied her. Her aura seemed familiar in a way, but he has never met this person. The power she held was recognizable. However the only other time he has faced with that kind of power was at the fall of Beacon when he climbed the tower with Ruby.

"It's like when I found Cinder." Strom whispered to himself. While in his thoughts he missed most of the conversation between Yang and Raven.

"This conversation is over. Let them leave." Raven said as she was about to enter the tent. However the bandits were closing in to make them leave by force. Weiss and Yang took a wider stance and were ready to fight their way out. Strom used his semblance and made a ring of fire around them to help avoid trouble. All of the tension was building to a peak when out of nowhere a strike of lightning came down.

"Enough! You all need to keep things under control or there will be Grimm here!" The girl said and nodded to Raven who has been thinking for a little bit.

"Give the girl back her weapon." Raven said and the girl gave back Weiss's weapon to her. Raven then looked at the trio of teammates. "Fine, come inside. I want to tell you all of what I know about Ozpin. I did trust him once."

Both of the girls entered the tent and Strom was about to when Raven put her hand up. "Sorry, but I don't want you near Yang." The look she gave Strom was cold and filled with malice.

"Why can't Strom come in?" Yang asked and crossed her arms.

"Its fine Yang, I'll just sit out here and relax." Strom said with a patient smile. "Maybe I'll get to know some of these guys."

"Just don't run off without us, please." Weiss said as the tent closed.

Strom sat down next to the opening of the tent and looked out at the camp. He looked around and saw that some of the bandits stuck around to continue their business while others began to fix some of the damages made inside the camp. The girl who had held onto Weiss's rapier stood and watched Strom's every movement. Well… lack thereof to be precise.

"Is there something interesting about me?" Strom asked and surprised the girl.

"No, there isn't." She said and turned away.

"How are we supposed to fix this now?" One of the bandits said loudly as they saw the cage. Strom stood up and went over to the bandits. All the while he was being watched. "What do you want now?"

"Nothing, I just thought that I could help fix this." Strom said and began to heat up and bend the bars straight with his semblance.

"We don't need… okay that's actually helpful." The bandit said as he watched Strom bend bars straight. "Think you can weld it back together?"

"I know I can do that sir." Strom replied politely and welded bars and broken parts of the cage back together. It didn't take long for the cage to be fixed up and once it was all fixed Strom went back to sitting next to the tent entrance and waited along.

"What are you planning?" Strom heard her ask and was confused.

"Planning what?" Strom asked and raised an eyebrow. "I'm just doing what I feel is right."

"Did you help them because they're weaker than you?" She asked and her eyes narrowed.

"No, I helped them because I am strong." Strom said remembering the words of his late master Trent. "Those who are strong stand up for themselves, but those who are stronger, stand up for others."

"The weak die and the strong survive." She replied with what she was taught by Raven. "So… why do you help the weak in the first place?"

"Because someone has to, because this whole "The strong survive and the weak die" is just sad to even hear. And because it's a responsibility to those who care." Strom said and made her go silent. "Also… just thinking about that statement will only lead to the end of humanity. This is how I see the world, so you have the right to just brush it off as crazy talk, but I will continue to help those in need. I have already failed a few times and I don't ever want to make those mistakes again."

Upon hearing that she just stood in silence, letting what he said sit in her mind. Strom just went back into his thoughts and remembered the day of Azure's death and when he was fighting at the fall of Beacon. A single tear managed to fall from under his band.

 **Wow, I have already caught up with the story. Thank you all for reading. And I hope to hear from you all. This is SirArondight riding off.**


	33. Thankgiving Special

**Welcome all to another addition of Fighting Fury and this Year… I have a Thanksgiving Special. I hope you all enjoy it and also I have been asked some questions about Strom from some guests so I could not personally respond to them. I will in this Author's Note though.**

 **Question 1: Strom has brown hair right?**

 **Answer 1: No, he does not. It is supposed to be gray. Some shades lighter than Mercury's hair if we want to get into details. I even read back every chapter to double check to see if I made a mistake =D.**

 **Question 2: What does his scar from Roman Torchwick look like?**

 **Answer 2: This one I had to go back and read again. The blast scar is supposed to be a star shaped scar. Now it's not a star that has five points, but rather more like 10-17. And one "point" of the stars reaches up about to the collarbone and barely touches his neck. Another reaches down closer to his waist. The "Center" of the scar is at the center of his chest. And if you were to look at Strom without his shirt both of those longer "points" would be found on his right side. Smaller "points" go across his abdomen and chest but those two longer "points" were the "stars" (hehe) to be pointed out.**

 **I do appreciate these questions being asked, and they are good questions. I do know everything about my OC, but it never hurts to look back at old chapters. And it does make me feel like I can connect to the readers, who happened to be guests. I do hope to receive more Questions and/or Reviews in the future, but for now. I kept you guys waiting long enough, what is in store for our fishy friend today?**

Fighting Fury: Thanksgiving Special

"Can I help with the stuffing dad?" Boran asked his father who was working on stuffing.

"But I wanted to help him." Lily asked and pouted a little.

"But you helped him last year while I helped mom with the cleaning." Boran complained and his ears started to lean back a little.

"How about this, you two can help mom clean up the place faster and I'll hold onto the stuffing for later. That way you both can help out and we get the place cleaned up nicely." Darren, their happy father in a wheelchair, said with a warm smile. "We do have a lot of people coming over today so we do want to keep things cleaned up."

"Alright." The two said together after thinking about it. They both ran off to help Mona clean up the house.

"Oh boy, I hope that we can keep everyone fed tonight." Darren said knowing how many people were going to come over. "Well, it sure will be an eventful night."

While the Teitsia's were almost ready for their guests to come over, a team was getting ready to visit, along with some relatives.

"Wow, so we have Yang, myself, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Winter, Qrow, Taiyang, Raven and of course Zwei." Strom said listing off everyone that he had remembered. "Yang, how did you get Raven to come again?"

"Well…" Yang began as she thought about the situation with Raven.

"Notice me!" Yang shouted at her mother who was near a cliff looking at the moon.

"No!" The red armor clad mother responded strongly as her stomach growled loud enough for Yang to hear. "Will there be food to eat?!"

"No, we just look at it and- Of course we will be eating!" Yang said with a small smile knowing that she had won.

"Fine then." Raven said and made a portal to Yang. "Let's go now."

"Was it really necessary to make a portal to me?" Yang asked seeing that her mother could have easily walked down the cliff.

"No, but it is so much more convenient to do so." Raven said in a calm manner. "Now, let us be off in our conquest of food. The weak will cook for the strong."

"I'm certain that is not how your saying goes." Yang sighed and began to return back to her team and sleep.

"Well… that's an interesting development." Ruby said and looked towards Weiss and Blake for their input.

"I think that we just used a reference to something." Blake said and thought about it.

"Well, I'm just glad that I'll be having my first Thanksgiving." Weiss said remembering the long and silent dinners that her family had.

"Well I'm excited to get to eat some good home cooking." Strom said grinning widely and hugged his team. "And to spend some quality time together."

"Strom-URK! Can't breath!" Ruby croaked out while no one else was having issues. Yang had joined in and hugged everyone tightly while being hugged. "Y-Yang, uncle Uncle!"

After the hugging was over, and Ruby finally had gotten some air into her lungs, they all began to walk to the Bullhead and prepared to leave.

"I wonder how Jaune and his team are doing." Strom said thinking about JNPR and how they left to meet Jaune's family for Thanksgiving. "Pyrrha was excited to say the least."

"Yeah, but I can relate to her." Yang said and snuggled up close to Strom. "I hope to do this more often."

"Me too Yang." Strom said and held her hand and rested his head against her head. "It'll be nice to just relax and unwind."

"Yeah." She said agreeing with Strom and closed her eyes and dozed off. "Wake me up when we get there please."

"Rest well Yang." Ruby said with a soft smile as she looked at the two. "So is there anything that we need to know about your family's Thanksgivings Strom?"

"Actually yes." Strom said remembering something very critical. "When you get your food, keep an eye on your cranberry sauce. Lily and Boran absolutely love it and will not hesitate to take it from you when you aren't looking."

"Are you serious?" Weiss said trying to hold back herself from laughing. "And should we also make sure that our mashed potatoes become volcanoes with butter for lava?"

"Nah, I do that because I like to have a little fun with my food." Strom said thinking about the art that is mashed potato molding into volcanoes with butter for lava.

"Well, at least it's not your mom making fish art for decoration." Blake said with a quiet chuckle as she remembered how her mom would do that and have to deal with the flies. "So, anything else we need to know?"

"No, just that we're all glad to have you guys over." Strom said with a smile and wrapped his arm around Yang's waist. "It'll be nice to just get together and have a nice meal. We won't have to worry about Grimm, bandits, Death, or anything related to those three."

"Yep, just a relaxing day to spend time together." Ruby said with a cheerful smile and looked outside the window and saw Patch come into view. "I can't wait to see Zwei."

"Me too, I hope that he'll be excited to see me too." Weiss said in a very Ruby-like manner. She really had a soft spot for the lovable corgi. "Can he have table scraps?"

"Yes, but no turkey bones." Ruby warned Weiss who was getting excited about the thought of feeding Zwei. "I can't wait to be together again."

"Me too, It'll be my first one in a while. The White Fang thanksgivings were… not as traditional." Blake said as she remembered one of the times that they tried to celebrate the holiday.

"And now, to carve the turkey." Adam Taurus said with a sinister smile as he brought up his weapon and got set up for an over head strike to the cooked bird.

"Adam, please just do it normally." Blake said embarrassed and hid her face with her hand.

"This is the best way to carve turkey." Adam said and brought down the weapon upon the turkey and cleaved it, the plate, and the table in two. "Ahh, just like cutting up some… Grimm."

"Adam… you were thinking about humans weren't you?" Blake said and looked at the man with an unimpressed gaze.

"I'm actually a vegetarian." A deer faunus said as she looked at the turkey which has yet to be served.

"Not now Chloe!" Adam shouted as he cleaned his blade and faced Blake. "So what if I was thinking about humans?"

"Why would you think about killing humans right now?" Blake said with her head resting on her arms.

"Because, it's who I am." Adam said not making any sense.

"That doesn't make any sense." Chloe the deer faunus said as a slice of turkey was put onto her plate. "Hold on, I said that I was a vegetarian."

"Tonight we dine on this flesh!" Adam shouted for all to hear. "And Chloe will be the first one to dine."

"You're joking right?" Chloe responded as she stood up from the table and left.

"What did I say?" Adam asked trying to figure out why the Faunus left.

"She's a vegetarian, Adam." Blake said annoyed with Adam's refusal to listen.

"Oh… she has a talent for making puppets talk?" Adam asked trying to remember the meaning of the word.

"That's a ventriloquist." Blake said ready to give up. "This is why I told you not to drink before dinner."

"Hopefully everyone will be sober." Blake said and shuddered from her past experiences.

"Uhhhhhh…" Ruby started and didn't want to mention her Uncle Qrow. "I cannot make promises for my Uncle Qrow."

"Oh, that's right." Blake said remembering the drunken uncle. "Well, he's actually better than what I was used to."

"Good to know." Weiss said as she remembered the man. "Oh, I just know that Winter will love Zwei."

"I hope so too." Ruby said as the ship came to a stop. "And we're here. Time to wake up Sleeping Beauty."

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you with Yang." Strom said and had a small idea. However he did want to take chances. "Yang, it's time to wake up. We have landed."

"Mmm-nope, too tired and it's chilly outside." Yang said while keeping her eyes closed and smiled.

"Hmm, well then I have no other choice but to carry you." He said smiling back and removed the band around his eyes. "Hop on my back and we'll get going."

She hopped onto his back without much warning, but he was able to hold his balance with a smile. He carried her off of the aircraft and used his semblance to have a nice gentle warmth surround Yang. They caught up with the others and Ruby only shook her head when she saw them. Then as they all felt the heat radiating from them, they may have gotten a little jealous at Yang.

"Don't you think that you're spoiling her?" Blake said and nudged her left elbow into Strom's ribs gently.

"What? No." Strom said with a playful smile and shook his head gently. "I just want to make sure that she can live a comfortable life."

"We're just messing around, but I'm sure that you know." Weiss said. "Now come on, I want to see Zwei now."

The group made their way through Patch until they found Strom's home. With a great big smile Ruby and Weiss ran up to see Zwei and Taiyang. When Yang heard Zwei's bark, she hopped off of Strom's back and rushed up with the other two excited team members. Blake was trying to hide behind Strom and kept her distance away from the Corgi. When all the noise was being made outside, Boran and Lily rushed out to hug Strom and knock him to the ground.

"Strom, you are here again!" his younger siblings said with huge smiles.

"Yes I am. Now let me up so you can hug everyone else too." He stated as Yang and Ruby were closing in on the siblings and hugged them from behind.

"Gotcha!" Both Yang and Ruby said while laughing with them.

"I was expecting it to be a little rowdy here, but this might be a little much." A voice was heard from across the yard. Her hair was white like snow and had eyes like sapphires. She stood straight and at attention, but had a warm smile on her face. "It's good to see you Weiss."

"Winter!" Weiss said and rushed over and hugged her sister and got one in return. "I'm so happy to see you hear.

"Well, I didn't have much to do around the base, and I really wanted to see how you are doing Weiss." Winter said and looked at all of the others. "Well, I certainly am seeing new faces here."

"Ah, well. You have met Ruby before. Yang has the long blonde hair. Strom is the blind man of the team. And Blake is the quiet one who loves to read. And then we have Strom's younger siblings, Boran and Lily." Weiss went on to introduce her sister to everyone quickly before she ran up to the entrance picked up Zwei and brought him over to Winter. "And this is Zwei, and adorable, wonderful, smart, dog."

"I can see." Winter said unimpressed with the dog being almost shoved in her face. She looked at Zwei trying to figure out what made him so special. Zwei just tilted his head a little and Winter's eyes began to see the truth. She suddenly grabbed Zwei and hugged him and spun around. "Oh, you are so cute! Aren't you? Aren't you?"

"Hmm, maybe they need a dog." Yang said after watching the calculating Winter melt into a happy song and dance.

"Heh, I never took you for a dog person." A gruff voice could be heard as Qrow and Raven walked over to the house full of life.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said as she ran up and hugged her uncle. And then looked at Raven with curiosity before launching herself off of Qrow and hugged Raven. "Aunt Raven!"

Raven was surprised and slightly stunned for a moment. She stood there being embraced by the daughter of her former team. Another source of warmth wrapped around her which turned out to be her own daughter. A small smile began to form on her face which turned into discomfort when Strom decided to join in and hug Raven.

"Okay, I'll just take the girls hugs thank you very much." She said narrowing her eyes on Strom.

"Oh, your words cut me like a knife." Strom said in an exaggerated manner and released Raven. "Come on in everyone. The food should be almost ready by now."

Greetings were shared and hugs were given out as everyone entered the house. Qrow and Winter managed to stay off of each other's nerves. The room smelled of roasted turkey and baked pumpkin pies. Yang, Strom and Weiss had to keep Ruby from "Poison checking" the sweet pies. Zwei was content of being petted by Boran and Lily, while Blake watched in awe of how brave Boran was. Taiyang and Raven were keeping a simple conversation with Strom's parents. When the oven made its final call for the night, Strom pulled out a wonderfully cooked turkey.

"Strom you should have used pot handles!" his mother scolded him despite knowing what his semblance was and pinched his cheek. "Just because you are immune to it doesn't mean that you should set a bad example for your siblings."

"We know it is very hot mom." Boran said while he watched Strom carried the bird to the counter to begin slicing into it.

"You know, I could use my katana to cut it." Raven said in her attempt to make a joke.

"NOOO!" Blake said and stood straight up and surprised everyone with her sudden outcry.

"It's okay Blakey, no one is going to use a weapon on the bird." Yang said calmingly and helped Blake back into her seat slowly.

"Yep, see? A nicely cut up turkey with a carving knife." Strom said as he brought it over to the table. "Dig in everyone."

And so, the evening went on as the families laughed and enjoyed themselves with good food and laughter. Even Raven found it hilarious when Boran and Lily stole Winter and Qrow's cranberry sauce from their plates. And everything went out as peaceful as it should have…

Or so you would have thought.

Boran and Lily began to play around a little, trying to make the other yield to their mashed potato mountain. Everything seemed to be alright until Boran overstepped his boundaries and hit a spoon, sending mashed potatoes right into the forehead of Winter. Silence was all that was heard as Winter looked at where she was hit and cleaned off the mashed potatoes off of her. However two people began laughing like children, and they weren't Boran and Lily, but rather Qrow and Ruby.

"Ruby!" Weiss and Taiyang both said in a scolding tone.

"What? It was funny." Ruby said in defense. "It just flew in the air and stuck to her forehead."

"Yes, just like this." Winter added and gave Ruby the same treatment she received. "I highly suggest it Ruby, it is quite relaxing."

Weiss and Yang began laughing as well before Yang was hit with some mashed potatoes by Raven. Everyone turned in shock to see an adult throw food like a child.

"What? It looks fun to me." Raven said and shrugged.

Yang just picked up the bowl of the potatoes and dumped in onto Raven's head. "That was for getting some in my hair."

Raven just scooped some of the potatoes and ate some. "Still tastes nice, but this means war."

"Food Fight 2: The Family Edition!" Ruby cried out as all mayhem broke loose.

Darrel and Mona both sighed and laughed at the same time as they began to have fun as well. Boran and Lily began to target Strom with stuffing and carrots. Luckily everyone ate enough food for the rest to be used as ammo. The fight went on until the last carrot was thrown and everyone had a blast, even if all of their clothes were messed up and desperately needed washing. All good things had to come to an end however and the clean up took almost an hour to clean up. The majority of the help came from Zwei licking up most of the mess.

After all the cleaning was done, everyone decided to get their clothes washed at the house and Mona and Darrel had used their extra clothes for the girls and adults. Boran and Lily fell asleep first. Soon everyone was falling asleep, one by one. Strom left to go outside and look up at the stars that he can't see. He was soon joined by Yang and she draped her arms on his shoulders.

"It looks like it's, going to snow." Yang said as a few snowflakes began to fall. "Correction, it is snowing now."

"Yes it is. And I hope that next year can be something similar like this." Strom said and held onto her hands gently. A figure was watching them through the window with curious red eyes.

"Hmm, maybe I will have to give him a chance after all." Raven said and went away with a small smile. She did enjoy herself very much and hoped that she could feel this way again.

 **And there we are! Sorry if it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but it is how it is. I was NOT distracted by Pokemon Ultra Moon. I was NOT… okay yes I was, a little though. Anyways I hope that you all have enjoyed and if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. SirArondight, riding off.**


	34. Chapter 29

**Wow oh wow oh wow... I have been surprised with the latest Volume of RWBY. And I was hoping that I could wait until the end of the Volume 5, but I got a little too excited to continue this story. So here I am again with another update to the story. Also I have to take the time and thank all of you again for reading this story and for sticking through it all. I do not thank you guys and… gals? Girls? Potato lovers? Anyways, I don't thank you all enough for all of the support that you have given me. Anyways, let's get onto the story… however I should warn you all that we will be travelling back in time to get another perspective of the story. And perhaps foreshadow of what is to come…**

 **With all of that said, I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Chapter 29: The Bear's Vengeance**

[Vale's Prison Hold]

[Time: After Vale's Breach]

The cells were cold and noisy with prisoners working out, cleaning, or having conversations. They got to watch the news on the few television sets that they were allowed to have in the main cell area. Some of the prisoners were serving time for robberies, others were serving time for misdemeanors and small crimes, but recently there was a huge increase of prisoners all arrested for kidnapping. And among that group was a very angry bear faunus. His anger grew more and more when he watched the news about the recent Breach of Vale. Someone caught footage of Strom as his flames turned from red to blue and the others had been fighting the Grimm that were already in the city.

"Grrrrrr." Jackson Keres aka Bloodlust growled lowly as the fifty pound dumbbell that he was lifting was beginning to get indented from the bar. "No one makes a fool out of me… ever."

"Well he got the best of all of us." Another prisoner said while spotting for another inmate. "Maybe we should just let it go. I don't want to deal with him if he has that kind of a semblance."

"Oh just SHUT IT Terrem!" Jackson shouted as his anger continued to rise. He raised the dumbbell faster and faster before he accidentally hit himself in the chin with the weight. "OWW! RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He threw the weight at the window and broke the window. Afterwards guards began to fill in the room to stop Jackson from hurting anyone and causing anymore damage to the facility. After being placed in solitary Jackson went ballistic on the walls. His eyes filled with hatred and rage.

"The next time I see you, I will KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME! I WILL KILL YOU!" Jackson shouted before he sat on the bed and contemplated on how the situation would go. Eventually he fell asleep in complete silence. However he did have a unique dream involving someone who he had never met.

' _Hello Jackson, or would you rather me call you Blood Lust?'_ A feminine voice said calmly to him. _'So, how are you?'_

"Who are you?!" He shouted out into the void. "How do you know my name?"

' _I don't know just your name.'_ The voice said with a cold laughter. _'I know that you are powerful, but not as powerful as you could be. I know that you have a hatred for that boy Strom Teitsia. I know that you love to make others suffer in pain. I also know your fears as well.'_

"Alright, so you do know me a little." He said a little more cautiously. "But that doesn't answer my questions."

' _True, but I want to offer you a proposition.'_ The voice replied as it seemed to walk around him. _'Come work with me, and I will get you out of your… current living situation.'_

"And if I refuse?" He asked and crossed his arms.

' _Well, then I guess that you won't be leaving your cell anytime soon, and you could end up in a very bad position in the upcoming time.'_ The voice said as the void grew cold. _'And if you get out and work for me, you will get the power for revenge against that boy, Strom Teitsia I believe his name was.'_

"Will I be able to kill him though?" He asked as the deal began to sound even sweeter.

' _You will be able to. He is no concern to me.'_ The voice said and chuckled quietly _'So, I take it that we have a deal then?'_

"Yes you have a deal!" He bellowed loudly with a sadistic smile on his face. "So, may I ask for your name?"

The voice just went silent leaving him in the void until. _'Salem.'_

Jackson woke up with a cold sweat as the door knocked loudly. The guards had checked in on him and to see if he was ready to go back into the main cell area. He went back into the main cell area with a smile on his face. The other prisoners were a little frightened about his expression, but soon learned that he did not have any intentions of beating anyone in the cells. Even the guards were put off by his calm and relaxed nature out of nowhere, but eventually they all got used to it. However, everything changed on the night of when Beacon fell.

Jackson smiled at the carnage around him. He watched as prisoners fought to get out of their cells while the guards fought off Grimm from breaking in. He was strong enough to bend the bars and break out of his cell and made his was over to the button that would open up the cells and had his hand over the button. He turned and saw all of the hope in the prisoners' eyes that they could be given a chance to survive. He smiled and touched the button before ripping it out and walked out hearing the curses and fear in their voices.

"Ohhhhhh, man it feels good to hear the fear in their voices." He said as he walked through the prison as someone who is free. "Well time to get out of here."

He dashed into the weapons storage room and grabbed a few bombs and a rifle along with 5 clips. He has been studying the prison layout and made a map in his head of how to get out. Each wall that he would need a quick way out was bombed and allowed him to progress near his final destination. After breaking his way out of the prison, he looked at the entrance of the prison that had Grimm swarming in. He could hear the screams and cries of people dying inside and smiled. As he made his way over to the docks he encountered 3 people also making their way to the last airship that wasn't destroyed. He noticed that one of them was unconscious, a woman with black hair and a red dress.

"Come on Mercury, we need to get out of here now!" Emerald said as they reached closer to the airship.

"I know, and she would kill me if she heard this but she's not the lightest person in the world to carry." Mercury complained before they were watching Jackson run over to the airship and ripped the door off. "Hold on there! Wait for us!"

He started the airship and watched them come on. He pointed the gun at them and held onto one bomb. "Get off now or I will blow this whole thing up!"

"Are you insane!? We'll all die!" Emerald said in shock and couldn't focus her semblance.

"Look I don't know where you think you're going, but I have someone to meet. After all, She helped to set me free." Jackson said with a grin. "And I plan to help her out as a part of the deal I made with her."

"Oh, then you're the new guy then?" Mercury asked while remembering a conversation that they had from a message received. "Yeah, you do match the description: Tall, big, bear faunus, no cares for others whatsoever. Well then how about we lead you the way? After all, Salem wouldn't be happy if we all died right here now."

"Ahhh, then never mind about getting off." Jackson said and threw the bomb at a Beowulf and laughed watching the grimm explode. "So looks like you have had trouble, what happened to her?"

"Cinder, had an accident with one of those hunters… Ruby, she is a silver eyed warrior and we underestimated her ability." Emerald said while her eyes sent daggers at Jackson. "Treat her with the respect she deserves."

"So, we never really caught your name there buddy." Mercury said as they began to fly off from Vale.

"It's Jackson… however I think it's time for a name update. I need a new stage name." He said and relaxed a little. "I'll sleep on it. Oh, I'm guessing that it was a mission success?"

"What? No, it was not!" Emerald shouted. "Cinder got hurt and now we may have a new threat to look out for. Strom was already bad enough, but now we have to worry about a little girl with a red scythe!"

"But, Grimm were released into the city, Vale fell and so did Beacon, people died, I escaped from prison, I would say it's a great success." Jackson said and got ready to sleep. "Well, minor setbacks aside I'm going to rest up before meeting Salem."

"Well, I just hope that you won't end up like ice guy." Mercury said and strapped Cinder into a chair. "He died fighting fish boy."

"Fish boy?" Jackson asked thinking of one person. "Wears a band all the time and has gray spiky hair and wears a ridiculous white towel around his waist?"

"Uhh, yeah." Emerald answered after sharing a look of confusion with Mercury before quickly watching the man before them go from as happy as can be to an untamed inferno.

"I can't believe this!" Jackson yelled out and wanted to break something. "Does he have to stick his nose into my business everywhere I go?"

He took a breath to try and calm himself down a little. After all, he did escape prison and will be getting strong enough to kill the one person that ruined his life. "Maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all. If he is with the one with silver eyes, then I will be certain to fight him."

"Yeah, so let's just get back to base and recover from the losses we had." Mercury said as he and Emerald began to fly the airship towards Salem's base.

As the months went by Jackson learned more about Strom and what he had that Salem wanted, a gem that held mythical power and supposedly held something more within. His training was absolutely brutal, if he failed to do even one thing he was going to die because of that mistake. And every day he was training, and every day he left the room bleeding, sweating and near the verge of death. Tyrian kept on laughing every time that Jackson got nearly killed by a grimm. Eventually Jackson got stronger and made fewer mistakes each time. Salem began to see the progress and wait until she deemed him ready for the project.

More time went by as Salem watched Jackson grow into the killer that she so needed as a backup in case someone else died when they plan to attack Haven. She knew that Cinder survived her transformation so she wondered about giving the same treatment to Jackson. She waited until tomorrow to truly see if he was ready for this power. She wanted to make someone who would be able to take on one of their biggest threats.

"Jackson, you have made good progress. And tomorrow, we'll see if you will be able to handle the transformation." Salem said as Jackson walked out of the training room bleeding a little, but still alive.

"Yeah, will I get a choice of which ones I can try or is it already selected?" Jackson asked trying to see if he would have a say in the transformation. "I'm fine either way as long as that boy will get killed by my hands. He shouldn't be a thorn in your plans after that."

Salem smiled at the way he worded his statements and questions. He tests to what he is allowed to say but he always words it to how he knows who is still in charge and who can still kill him if she wanted it. "Well, you have made drastic improvements without a semblance or Aura. I'll think about a selection of Grimm that will be fit for you, and you can choose. However, be warned now. You can die from this, and it will hurt."

"I have come this far, I am not going to back down now." Jackson said and got down on one knee and with one fist set to the ground. He then felt a blade being pressed on his back.

"Good, because going back now would only lead to your own death." She said before withdrawing the sword that Cinder had manifested. "Alright tomorrow we'll see if you have what it takes."

"I'll be ready." Jackson said and stayed where he was as Salem left. He stood up when she left and began to tend to his wounds. He became very scarred and tougher over the months. Cinder and Emerald walked up to the burly bear. "Can I help you two with something?"

Cinder whispered into Emerald's ear of what she wants to say. "It's about Strom, the one you want to kill so badly."

"Yeah, we all want him dead right?" Jackson asked since he knew that Strom was a liability to Salem's plans.

Cinder whispered into Emerald's ear again to speak on her behalf. "Well, you know that Strom has that gem. Well, it turns out that he has another… ability that Cinder is interested in."

"Oh great, what can he do now?" Jackson complained about learning something else that Strom could do. Unfortunately, Cinder was not thrilled to hear the tone in his voice. She whispered into Emerald's ear again and her eyes went a little wide.

"Okay, I'm not going to say everything she said. However, Cinder would really like for Strom to be alive, captured would be the best situation. And what he can do is communicate with those who are close to him and have passed on."

"Oh cool he can talk to ghosts." Jackson said like what information he was just given was as much worth as dirt. "So why would you be so interested in that?"

Cinder whispered into Emerald's ear once more before going away to start her training. Emerald was in a state of shock before she turned to Jackson. "Because he can allow Cinder to talk to her sister."

Emerald then left to help Cinder train as Jackson kept on tending to his wounds. He knew that the transformation would cut him from using aura to protect or heal him, but then his mind kept on going back to Strom. He wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp so much, and yet everyone needed him for something. Jackson stood up and went to go rest before he tested his limits with the transformation.

The next day Salem and her faction went to the training grounds again with a selection of Grimm in cages. A Beringel, a Death Stalker, a Goliath and Grimm Sea Dragon were trapped in cells and tried to break out, but weren't able to. Jackson gulped a little as he entered the room alone.

"Wow, this is a selection." Jackson said as he looked around without noticing that there were gates rising up around the training grounds and locking him in with the Grimm. "Wait, what's going on?"

"There's been a little change of plans Jackson." Salem said as she poured some of her power past the gates. "What happens next is up to you, live or die."

Jackson watched as the four cages collapsed into dust like they never existed and the Grimm walk towards him with their newfound freedom. Jackson began to try and flee from them but as he reached the gate he hit an invisible barrier that flashed black.

"Oh, we can't have you running away now." Salem said and started to let the barrier move in. "Cinder went through with this just fine, so will you."

"Dammit." Jackson cursed and turned to find the grimm rushing him.

He dodged a punch thrown by the Beringel and a swipe of the Deathstalker's tail, but wasn't ready for the Goliath to charge him right into the barrier. With a groan he grabbed the two tusks of the Goliath and began to slowly bend them while pushing back. His push was soon ended when the Sea Dragon flew down and nearly bit off Jackson's head if he didn't duck in time. The Beringel had finally caught up and slammed its right fist into Jackson's back.

Jackson felt the air get knocked out of him and his grip slipped on the tusks. The Goliath used its trunk to wrap around his left leg and threw him in the middle of the shrinking barrier.

"This… isn't good." He said trying to catch his breath again. He watched as the Grimm slowly surround him as Salem and the others watched on. "I'm not letting it end like this…"

A rush of adrenaline flowed throughout his body as he made his last attack count for all he could make it worth. The Goliath's tusks were grabbed once again and Jackson lifted the Grimm with all of his might and swung it at the Beringel. It returned with a punch hard enough to break the Goliath's spine, but Jackson kept the freshly killed Goliath swinging and ended up slamming into the Beringel and into the Sea Dragon. The Deathstalker raised its pincers and tail to grab Jackson and made an attempt to strike him with the stinger again. The Stinger fell and hit its own pincer that Jackson put in his place. The other pincer released Jackson and tried to get its stinger out of the pincer it stung. Jackson used the opportunity to rip the tail off from the stuck stinger, and take the stinger out from the pincer and stood on head on the Deathstalker.

The Sea Dragon went above the fresh corpse of the Goliath and tried to snap Jackson in half with its mighty fangs, but instead of human flesh it got a squirming Deathstalker in its sharp teeth. The teeth punctured the tough exoskeleton of the Deathstalker and killed it. Jackson took advantage of the situation and plunged the stinger into the eye of the Sea Dragon and squeezed the stinger and hoped that the poison was enough to kill the Grimm. The Sea Dragon flailed its tail a little before the poison took effect on the brain and system. Jackson saw the Grimm stop moving and took the stinger out. He began to walk away when he saw the Beringel struggle underneath the corpse of the Goliath. Jackson made his way over to the Grimm and positioned the stinger over the forehead.

"No Survivors." He said before planting the stinger into the forehead of the Beringel and made sure that the skull was punctured. "Okay, they're dead now… but they're not turning into smoke."

"Well done Jackson." Salem said with a small smile. "Now we can proceed."

The barrier became black and continued to close in on Jackson. He was no longer panicking this time since he recognized the process that was going to happen. Salem began to chant an incantation to start the process. Jackson's body began to feel like it was on fire while getting pricked with thousands of needles. He had to repress his aura from protecting him and to allow the process to work. He did let out a horrible cry.

"Do you think he is going to make it Hazel?" Arthur Watts asked the burly member of their faction.

"I think that he isn't going to be a sacrifice." Hazel said as the cries of Jackson grew louder. "How much more powerful should he be after this?"

"Well, if everything goes well. Our problems with the one holding the Gem shouldn't be anything to worry about." Salem said as she explained. "He may even exceed Ozpin and the Maidens separately. But at least Ozpin is dead."

Cinder's eyes narrowed at the black orb where Jackson was screaming from. One part actually wished that he would die in there. The other part was hoping that his power wouldn't exceed her own. Mercury and Emerald were slightly horrified at the sound Jackson was making. Tyrian was laughing like the madman he is. Salem watched on with an unchanging expression as the sounds from Jackson went silent.

"Sounds like he might have died or passed out." Arthur stated and expected the worst to come.

The black orb no longer shrank in size and began to shake. Everyone there watched in curiosity as the orb began to shake more vigorously.

"That's a little different." Emerald said remembering the process with Cinder's transformation. "What is going to happen?"

"Hmm, even I do not know, but this is going to be interesting." Salem said as she continued the process. "I do hope that you haven't failed me Jackson, not this early."

The orb began to shake even more as pounding sounds came from it. Salem watched with curiosity as the orb shook and began to crack. And the pounding sounds became louder as the cracks grew larger. Salem then smiled knowing that the process was a complete success. The cracks soon began to let pieces fall off and a black fist with white bone knuckles broke through the orb. Black mist poured out and two glowing red eyes were able to be seen. The orb soon fell apart and Jackson was transformed entirely.

His arms were now just black with bone plates covering the forearms, biceps and triceps. His legs also got the same treatment, but his torso was just completely covered in a white exoskeleton. His clothes were tattered and his faunus features were no longer there.

"Excellent Jackson, you have truly grown powerful." Salem said as the new monster just stood there. "Hmm, perhaps a new name should be given to you. However, it's time that we all continue to review and plan out our attack for Haven and its relic. Come now, my pet."

The monster obeyed silently and followed everyone back. As they all got back to their seats questions were asked to the new monster, but all they got in return was silence. It was like dealing with another Neo, but the monster can't seem to think for itself. Salem was a little irritated about the fact that all monster knew how to do was fight after they all trained in the training room.

Months went on by for the former man known as Jackson as he fought every day with Grimm despite being Grimm itself. Beowolves and Ursa couldn't even scratch the bone plates. Emerald's weapons and Mercury's kicks proved pointless, and even Cinder's fire attacks held little to no effect. Tyrian went out to capture Ruby but came back with fear in his eyes and with his stinger gone. He told Salem about how he saw Strom there even though he wasn't.

"Hmm, I'm afraid that he is becoming more and more powerful than I first estimated." Salem said to herself as she looked out of the window. "However so has my pet, so prepare yourself Strom. I will get my hands on that Gem and the Relics, when I do… nothing will stop me."

 **Well, that is it for this short chapter. I hope that you all have enjoyed and I will see you all next time.**

 **But before I leave I have to get this off my chest. I do not know if I can continue with following the story as I have in the past. What I mean is that I will follow the story through Volume 5, but after that I may write this story in my own way. Let me know how you guys feel about it.**

 **Alright that's it. Hope to hear from you all, this is SirArondight riding off.**


	35. Chapter 30

**Well it's finally here Chapter 30 and I am just excited for what I have planned in the future. Now I still haven't made up my mind if I do want to continue the story how it is going with the Volumes or if I want to take the story and make my own way. Either way I hope that you enjoy it and so I'll let you all read, ciao!**

Chapter 30: Making Amends

"Hey, Blind boy." The girl spoke to Strom as his thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey, Short-haired girl." Strom retaliated with a small smirk. "We all have names so maybe we can use them instead. I'm Strom and you are?"

"Vernal" She said and went inside the tent again for a few minutes before coming back out. "So Strom, since everyone is going to be here for a while what brings you around here?"

"Well since two of my team members are here now I think that I'll be going to follow them and inform them of what I know." Strom said thinking about what happened today. "And I think that it's going to get more eventful. I do sense a powerful force in this camp. And it is a power that I am familiar with… the power of a Maiden."

Vernal froze up a little at what just came out of his mouth. She turned towards Strom with a fierce look in her eye and had her hands grabbing her weapons before Strom spoke up again.

"You can relax, I have no intentions to get into any trouble here." He said calmly and grabbed his bag and examined his belongings again. "Man, I'm still upset about leaving that box."

"How do I know that you do not want to capture or kill the Spring Maiden?" Vernal asked quietly since she didn't want to make a scene.

"Oh, the Spring Maiden is here… hmm who would've known." He said as he cleaned up one of Ruby's clips for Crescent Rose. "I'm still surprised about how many clips the girl has."

"Will you be serious about this?" Vernal said getting upset about what was unfolding in front of her.

"I am serious you just aren't looking at the situation properly… which is ironic since I am the one who is blind." Strom said while he continued to clean. "And for the love of Oum, you can put those weapons down. Before I have to take them from you and get the Maiden to assist you."

"How do you know if I am the Spring Maiden?" Vernal asked with a smile since the mystery of the Spring Maiden was their greatest twist.

"I know that you are not the Spring Maiden, I know who exactly the Spring Maiden is." Strom said and took off his band to look at Vernal. "And I know… that my two teammates are talking to her right now."

"Liar…" Vernal said trying to bluff through the situation. "Raven is not the Spring Maiden so-"

"I can prove it to you." Strom said while having his eyes closed. "If you want I can show you how I know."

"Fine then" Vernal said hoping to find an inconsistency of how he knows. "So how is this going to work?"

"Well I can either put a hand on your shoulder" he started before Vernal cut him off.

"Not going to happen." She deadpanned not trusting of Strom.

"Okay, or you can put a hand on my shoulder and we can go from there." Strom said and got into his meditation position and intertwined his hands together.

"So… I just touch you?" Vernal asked thinking about it.

"Yes, and you should close your eyes too." Strom said as he concentrated to allow Vernal to see how he does.

"O-kay" she replied as he placed a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She began to see all of the auras in of those in the camp. "Is this all you see? Is seems that you would bump into so many walls."

"At first I did, but as I trained more and more, it became more and more clear." Strom explained as he let her see all of the details that are in the camp. To where all the weapons should be and where all the tents are. She turned around to see Raven with and calming light blue aura around her natural aura color that held more power than Weiss or Yang.

"Wow, this is amazing… I mean this doesn't prove anything." Vernal said trying to not be impressed by this technique of sight. "I bet you can't even see that far."

"And that is where I will prove you wrong again." Strom said and expanded everything. The forest came into view and so much more. Grimm began to show up from afar and seemed to be going towards the mountains. Everything was accessible to be seen in an out of body experience. "It's a little breathtaking isn't it?"

"Well… you got me there, but still how does this tell you who the Spring Maiden is?" Vernal asked as Strom slowly brought her attention to Raven again.

"It's a little hard to notice, but if you pay attention long enough you can notice the blue flames from Raven's eyes. That is how I know that she is one of the Maidens." Strom explained softly. "I do not have any business with her though. I am only here to be with my team."

Vernal then just turned to look at Strom's aura, but as she focused on him she began to see a white and black layer of aura after that. "So, what is up with your Aura? Why do you have a white and black aura too?"

Strom immediately cut her out of the out of body experience. "That now is my secret that you can figure out" he said with a smirk. Yang came out of the tent and saw Vernal with her hand on Strom and began to worry about the situation.

"So, uhhh… what is going on here?" Yang asked trying to get information.

"Oh, your friend here was just showing me the world how he views it." Vernal said but she caught on to what Yang was really asking. "It was certainly unexpected."

"Yes, but I think that Yang had something to tell me." Strom said as he stood up unaware of what was going on around him and put his band back on. "So, what is going on Yang?"

"Well, my mom had a question for you Strom, but I don't want to interrupt anything." Yang said irritated at Strom.

"You aren't interrupting anything Yang." Strom said and walked towards her. "I was thinking about what I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, and what is that?" Yang asked still showing a frown. "I am not in a good mood after all."

"Well, I did want to talk about it without others around. And I also get the feeling that you want to talk to me about something too." He said with a soft smile and placed a hand on her shoulder gently. She looked at Strom and smiled back as her left hand met up to reach his. She held it there for a moment before taking it off.

"I do, and I would like less ears listening too." Yang said as she held open the flap of the tent to let Strom in.

"Ahh, there is the man of the hour." Raven said with a frown as she motioned at the table. "Please… join us…"

"Mom…" Yang said as Strom entered and they sat down at the table.

"Thank you for your hospitality ma'am." Strom said remembering his manners from his mother.

"Don't call me ma'am." Raven said in a calm voice as a vein shown on her head. "You can refer to me as the Leader of the Bandit Tribe. Do I make myself clear?"

"You do, but my mother told me to refer to those who have more years on me as Ma'am or Sir." Strom said with a smile clearly unaware of how upset Raven was. Yang and Weiss were both smiling at the scene before them.

"You- I- stop… okay I need to catch you up on what we talked about." Raven said as her head turned slowly towards Yang. "Isn't that right Yang?"

"You got it mom." Yang said while trying her hardest to not smirk. "So Strom, do you believe in magic?"

"Actually yes I do." Strom said as it was common knowledge. "Ever since our trip to Aria I have began to see evidence of magic."

Raven dropped her anger when she heard this and began to get curious about what he meant. "Oh, how so?"

"Oops, I have said too much already." Strom said covering his mouth a little. "Are you sure that you wouldn't be bothered by a little tale?"

Raven put her hand underneath her chin and was ready for a long story. "Well, I have the time… but I do not think that Yang and Weiss have the same amount of patience as I do."

"Well, we are trying to get to Ruby." Yang said before looking at her mother. "So will you help us or not?"

"Oh, yes we need to get to Ruby as soon as we can." Strom agreed and looked back at Raven. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you how I believe in magic, but if you could help us in any way we would greatly appreciate it."

"Ugghhhh not you too." Raven said before rubbing her temples. "Alright fine, but be warned next time that we meet, I may not be so kind. Follow me outside."

They all followed Raven outside and Yang got her bike and gear. She and Weiss sat on the bike while Strom stood next to them with his bag. Raven opened up a portal with her sword. Yang, Weiss and Strom went through the portal. As they walked through and saw the sun shine in their faces as they came to find a lone individual in a tattered cape. He turned around expecting his sister but had a surprised look on his face for a brief moment before smiling.

"Hey, if it isn't Ice Queen Jr. and the lovebirds." Qrow said as Yang and Strom looked at each other with a little worry. "Oh no…"

"It's something that we're working on right now." Yang said before Strom opened his mouth. And even he was a little surprised by what she said. Qrow noticed it and smiled a little.

"Well, I'm glad that you three are here. The others are making dinner right now so you probably should get up there to eat." Qrow said and leaned against the railing. "There's a new face to meet as well, but you'll get an idea of who he is."

"And Ruby?" Yang asked and Qrow nodded his head.

"Up there too, perfectly fine. As a matter of fact recently she saved me." He said with a smile. "She is getting stronger Firecracker."

"Alright that's good to know." Yang said smiling and hugged her Uncle. "We'll go see her now."

"Take care, and try not to break the room with Nora." Qrow said smirking knowing those two.

"No promises." Yang said as they all walked off towards the building.

Yang had already put away Bumblebee before they reached the door. They could hear recognizable voices behind it and knew what was going to happen when they knocked on at the door. Yang walked up to the door and raised her hand ready to knock on it, but she hesitated a little. Both Weiss and Strom looked at each other and nodded and placed a hand on her shoulders. Yang smiled and knocked on the door as they heard someone skip to the door.

"Coming~" Nora sang and opened the door to find Yang there and her expression fell worried a little. "Ruby."

"Coming!" Ruby said and left from the kitchen area to find Yang, Weiss and Strom walking in. She was surprised to see them all here, she was happy to see them, but there was also a small fear of Yang taking her back to Patch. "Hi… Yang, I am glad that you are here, but… I can't go back. We can't let what happen to Beacon and Vale happen to Haven."

"I see" Yang said before walking over to Ruby, who closed her eyes and tensed up a little, and enveloped her in a long needed big sister hug. "Well then, I guess that someone has to help watch over you then."

"Yang," Ruby said and hugged her sister in return. Strom and Weiss smiled at the scene, before Ruby and Yang waved them over to join with big smiles. Weiss and Strom joined in on the hug and everyone's mood was raised. "So want to join us for dinner?"

"Ooo what do you got for me Ruby?" Yang asked as they all got ready to eat. Stories were shared at the dinner table from all different sides while they ate and enjoyed themselves.

Strom noticed a new face amongst the group. The boy was a little shorter than Ruby and probably younger too. However when Strom looked at the boy's aura he could see a recognizable emerald aura. After their meal the boy seemed to be trying to not state the obvious at the dinner table, even Nora and Yang with their arm wrestle match going on didn't seem to distract him.

"Oh, he is another one of your students?" The boy said out loud getting Strom's attention.

"I thought I recognized that aura from somewhere." Strom said and turned his attention to the boy. "So, may I ask for your name?"

"It's Oscar," he said trying to listen to Ozpin in his mind. "I was told to say that Ozpin says that you're looking quite well Strom."

"Thanks, it's nice to have our headmaster back, although I have to say that it is nice to meet you too Oscar." Strom said with a warm smile as he removed his band from over his eyes. "I hope that we can get along well."

"Eh-hehehe, likewise." Oscar said sounding a little nervous.

"Is Ozpin telling you all of my darkest secrets?" Strom asked with a sinister smile.

"What? No! None whatsoever." Oscar said as Strom laughed lightly.

"You can relax I'm just having a little fun." Strom said and turned his attention to Nora who was launched into the wall from Yang's prosthetic arm. "Well, I'm going to go get my bag and get something for Ruby and Weiss."

Strom stood up and went to the room where he was staying. He reached for his bag and sat down on the side of the bed and pulled out some of Ruby's magazines for her weapon and a case filled with dust. The door was open as Yang arrived and knocked on the door with her right arm.

"You are welcomed in." Strom said politely as Yang walked in. "So, we finally have some alone time, and I remember that you wanted to talk to me about something."

"Yeah… I do," Yang said and closed the door. She then sat down on the side of the bed about a foot away from Strom and closed her eyes for a moment. "I… want to talk about us."

"Us, as a team… or us as… you and me?" Strom said setting aside what he had to let Yang know she has his full attention.

"Us as in you and me." She stated and took a deep breath. "I believe I was unfair to you when you returned to Patch. I should have been thrilled to see you again, but instead I was just… I was just a bitch then."

"I see how you can see it that way." Strom said and locked his hands together. "To be fair, I should have been with you from day one since after Beacon fell. You were in pain from the tournament, the attack, losing a part of you and Blake… but I just feared that I was going to be hunted and didn't want anyone to get in harm's way."

"I was in pain, but I have left the pain behind now and I'm ready to move on again." Yang said with a smile but then returned to a slightly sad frown. "I wasn't even considering about how you felt, or how Blake felt after Beacon. I was caught up with what happened to me alone and I wasn't being fair."

"Yang, it's alright to be worried about yourself first, after all I was worried about Aria and went to go check up with them and hide myself away to train, but I was all alone there too." Strom said and brought his knees up to his chest and laughed lightly. "I find it a little funny that we're both apologizing for an event we had no control over, but it's nice. I forgive you Yang and I have forgiven myself, but can you forgive yourself and Blake?"

"I know that I can forgive you and myself, but I don't know about Blake…" Yang said softly as she brought her knees to her chest. "I'm not even sure if I'll ever see her again."

Strom could feel that Yang was feeling a little anger towards Blake and he draped his arm across her back and rubbed it a little. "Blake had her problems too, she had her reasons to go home and solve things out for herself. So she will return Yang."

"Do you think so?" She asked and looked at him with a slightly hopeful look.

"Yang, I know that she will return to us." Strom said smiling widely. "I know because she plans on coming to Haven to fight against the White Fang."

"So she is coming." Yang said and looked away for a moment. "I guess that I should move onto the next topic now."

"And that is?" Strom asked as Yang kept her head still and just left Strom to see her golden locks of hair.

"I wanted to talk to you about… you… and me…" She said and closed her eyes. "What did you think of the break up?"

"I was sad and wanted to do anything to help change it, but I knew that it would be something that would if I went to Aria." He said and closed his eyes. "Every day I hoped that one day we could be back together. I don't know if it is what you want so I just kept on waiting to get a chance to say that my feelings for you have stayed the same… or maybe they have gotten stronger."

"Strom… I'm sorry that I said that I wanted to break up with you." Yang said and pulled a letter from her jacket and handed it to him. "I did get to read your letter. My dad saved it for me."

Strom smiled and turned to meet a smiling Yang with her lilac eyes starting to water up. They both hugged and stayed on the bed for a good moment. "I'm glad that you did. Your dad is awesome."

"I'm glad he saved it too, so… do we call ourselves a couple again… or-" Yang started to speak and began to worry until Strom cut her off with a kiss on her cheek. Her face became so red that it could make Ruby's cloak jealous. "Uhhhhh… uhhhhh."

"You can take that answer as a yes." Strom said with a smile and stood up with his bag and walked to the door. "I'll let everyone know that you're collecting your thoughts. Also it's nice to tease you."

Strom left the room and left Yang alone to her thoughts as she touched her cheek absent-mindedly. She smiled and let her mind wander about what just happened. She replayed the scene in her mind over and over again and just held onto that happy thought. Her heart was beating fast and could have launched out of her chest if it could.

"I'm so happy it was a yes." She said before collecting herself and went to go meet with Qrow and Ozpin.

"OH MY OUM STROM THANK YOU!" Ruby shouted with joy as she saw some of her magazine clips come out of Strom's bag. She brought out Crescent Rose and cuddled it like a child "Ohhhhhh I have been missing these babies. Well the nightmares are over my sweetheart because now I have all the pieces again."

"This is very thoughtful Strom." Weiss said and inspected all of the dust that was in the case. "Now I have an extra set of dust to use. Thank you."

"Well, I went back to Beacon to see if I could grab anything from our room and I had a few things that were salvageable." Strom said remembering the room. "Blake got her book, Ruby has her clips, Weiss you have your dust."

"And Yang?" Ruby asked as Strom internally cursed himself.

"I left her gift in Menagerie like a moron." Strom said and held his head down in shame a little.

"Maybe Blake and Sun will bring it up." Ruby said with a worried but hopeful look. "So… You and Yang, sounds like you two made mistakes."

"I know I did, but I think that we will be working on something shortly." He said smiling after what happened. "Things may be looking up for the both of us."

"That might be the case~" Yang sang as she walked into the room with a smile as bright as the sun. "But for now Qrow wants all of us to go meet Headmaster Leonardo."

"Hmm, odd." Jaune said as they all stood up and left the room. "Maybe he had a change of heart?"

 **And that's where I am going to leave things off this time. Next chapter… will not be the end of Volume 5. And yes, they are working on getting back together! I'm Lighting the fire again and can't wait to continue. This is SirArondight Riding off.**


	36. Chapter 31

**Hello everyone and welcome back to another Chapter of Fighting Fury. And as much as I would love to just get Yang and Strom back together again, there are still loose ends that I need to tie up on. So I hope that you all understand _**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 31: Rising Fear

Raven watched her daughter and her two team members walk through her portal and saw to it that it closed. She sighed about the thought of having to fight her own daughter should they have to cross paths and how much of a hassle it would be. She secretly hoped that she would get to fight Strom and take him down so she wouldn't have to deal with his annoying personality.

"I really hope Yang can find someone less agitating." Raven said to herself as she went back inside her tent through the back flaps. She took a deep breath as Vernal came in.

"There are more visitors for you." She said as Raven put on her mask.

"This day just keeps getting better." Raven said before exiting out of the tent to find six people waiting for her.

"Ahh, Raven I am so glad that we could get an audience with you." Cinder said while Raven noticed the red liquid dripping from the hands of the biggest member. "Ah yes, I must apologize about our pet here. The guy outside of the door was just so rude to us and well… our pet played with him a little too rough."

"Well the new Grimm is simple minded." Arthur said as the Grimm growled a little. "Oh hush you."

"I still can't believe that Jackson went through that." Mercury said keeping his eye on the beast that was once a man. "And the new name is… alright"

"Typhon was a name to be feared in one of the books I read." Emerald said recalling her reading. "I mean he's not the father of monsters but it just fits."

"Enough." Raven said and wanted this to be over with as soon as possible. "What do you want?"

"Well what we want is the Relic at Haven Academy." Arthur said and extended a hand out to Raven. "And we know that you have the Spring Maiden who is needed to retrieve the relic. So we were hoping that we could work together to make this quick and painless."

"And if I refuse?"Raven asked hoping that she could find a way out.

"Well, Tyhpon here would be able to… play around some more." Cinder threatened and made sure Raven knew that.

"I see. Well, I guess that I should agree on a few conditions then." Raven said in an attempt to give her tribe the best possible outcome. "First, when all of this is over that we are never to be bothered by you again. Secondly, I want you to help me kill Qrow."

"We can guarantee your first demand, however the second we don't know if Qrow will be there because the last time that I talked our good friend Leo, Qrow was planning to make his way here to find the Spring Maiden." Arthur explained. "Killing Qrow is also not something that we should be focusing at the task at hand."

"It's fine," Cinder said as she looked at Raven with a confident smile. "We'll help you kill Qrow. Having him out of the way will only make things easier. We can have Leo set up Qrow and anyone else he is bringing into a trap. We go in and kill everyone, get the relic and then leave. Any arguments?"

"No, that should be fine for me." Raven said and turned to open the tent before a cough caught her attention. "What?"

"We would still like some proof that the Spring Maiden is with you still." Arthur said while looking around at the camp. "That is why we came all the way here after all."

Cinder began to show her maiden power to Raven with a smirk. Raven sighed and looked at Vernal and nodded. Vernal stepped forward and began to muster up the power of the Spring Maiden, but she knew that she wasn't the Spring Maiden and that this was a show to trick them all.

"Alright we've seen enough." Cinder said as Arthur and Hazel rolled their eyes. Vernal and the Maiden powers stopped. "You have our word. We'll come back for more details later today."

They all left out the same way they entered. Raven finally felt that it was a good time to take off her mask again. She wondered about everything that she had in mind. How this whole ordeal was about to go down, and what would happen afterwards.

"Vernal, have the scouts come back yet?" Raven asked Vernal who nodded her head.

"They set up camp about four hundred meters away from us and they have a ship to use." Vernal stated.

"Alright, tell everyone to begin breaking down the camp. We're going to move after this." Raven said and went back into the tent. She set the mask down and let her thoughts flow free.

' _Of all the things that had to happen… First my daughter barges in and demands that I take her to her sister and OF COURSE she had to have the one man I can't stand. Then I get to learn that Salem's crew just shows up out of the blue and demands help from me. One of my men was killed and I will have to cooperate with those six until I have my chance to escape. And what was the deal with that monster in my camp? I have not seen any Grimm like that before.'_ Her thoughts continue to go on like that for quite some time, but then she began to devise a plan. _'I could make this work out for me in the end. If Vernal and I go with Cinder to get the relic, I can just eliminate Cinder and we can get the Relic and run. This might leave a crippling blow to Salem.'_

Raven stayed in her tent for hours until Vernal came in to let her know that Cinder has came back and that only five of them showed up this time. Raven then stepped outside of the tent with her mask on again.

"So, shall we begin to discuss the plan for this?" Cinder asked and Raven nodded. "Good."

Blake was watching her house burn as the fire fighters worked on stopping it. Her speech already moved everyone to gear up and get ready to fight the White Fang that was going to attack Haven. Sun jumped out of the window of the burning house with Strom's scroll and gift for Yang. Fire fighters yelled at Sun for such a dumb move but went back to their business.

"You know, I would like Strom to be here right now. He could just make all of this go away." Sun said as he inspected what he saved. "Yeah, it's all good. Nothing harmed."

Ilia saw the box and the ring and became curious. "Blake, who is that ring for?"

"Well, Strom was planning on giving it to Yang. And I want to give it back to him so he can give it to her." Blake said while making sure that everything was ready for when they left. "I just hope that we can find him again. I hope that he is alright."

"I hope so too Blake." Sun said as Ilia began to feel guilty about that night and Blake noticed.

"Ilia, I don't blame you for what happened to Strom. You didn't know that was going to happen." Blake said and brought in Ilia for a hug.

"I know, but I can't help but feel responsible for this." Ilia said as she remembers the time earlier tonight. "He was just gone. A black and white portal opened and then poof, like he was never there."

"Well Strom knows how to take care of himself so he'll be fine." Sun said before Blake broke the news to Sun.

"Ilia did say that he was shot in the leg." Sun's expression paled and looked worried.

"Uh… I got nothing for morale boost there." He said as Ghira walked up to the three of them.

"Even if he is injured I feel that he is going to come out on top in the end." He said and Blake hugged him. "I have seen some signs that he will do great out there. And of course I will worry about him as well, but we need to get to Haven to prevent another attack."

"You're right dad." Blake said and looked towards the ship. "We need to leave as soon as we can. He wouldn't want Haven to fall too."

"You all make him sound like he's dead or something." Kali said and held onto Ghira's arm. "Strom is just missing. Either we'll find him or he'll find us."

"I hope so." Blake said as everyone began to board the ship. "We should be there by tomorrow night to we should all rest up."

"I'll bring board games~" Kali sang and looked back at her house. "Never mind~ but I think that we all can play charades."

Blake sighed a little and smiled as they all settled into a room. "I think charades will be fun."

And so they played charades for a little while before they got serious and began to train and plan out how they will try to help Haven. And it was then that Blake promised to herself that she will fight Adam when she has to face him and that she would not abandon her friends. And she would face Yang's wrath with a smile.

Raven and Cinder began to discuss about how the plan was going to go down and how many people would be there. Cinder was bored since she knew exactly how it would go down. She, Raven and the maiden would go to the room of the relic and retrieve it while Hazel, Mercury, Emerald and Leonardo kill everyone that tries to stop them. And yet Raven was just going on about what she already knew. There was only one person that Raven could mention that would perk up her interest. The only one who could let her see her sister, Strom Teitsia.

"So what are we going to do about the blind one?" Raven asked and got Cinder's attention.

"Blind one? Do you mean Strom?" Cinder asked to be certain. "If he is there then I will have to bring the pet to fight as well."

"I have seen him fight before and I'm not very impressed with him." Raven said while shaking her head. "He's strong, but he wastes his time with helping the weak."

"We can use that to our advantage." Cinder said and thought about a situation. "If we can knock him out and bring him back to Salem… everything would work out perfectly."

"Does he have something that you need?" Raven asked trying to learn more about her opponents.

"Just something that rightfully belongs to me." Cinder said as she smiled and stood up. "Now… shall we get started with the plan?"

"Like I have any other choice…" Raven sputtered before making a portal and walked through it.

"This is just perfect." Cinder said as she planned her betrayal on Raven.

Salem walked through her halls as she thought about the Gem she desperately wanted. The possibilities that the Gem's power held intoxicated her mind. If she could get her hands on that Gem, she may not need the relics after all. However she was getting worried about Strom Teitsia and how he is growing more and more accustomed to the power. She trained everyone to detect and protect themselves from his watchful gaze. When Tyrian told her about the time Strom managed to get in and watch him lose his tail she began to fear the worst.

"He is becoming more and more powerful by the second and he doesn't even know it." She said to no one but herself. "At this rate all of the Relics may be needed to utterly defeat him, but then again if he knows the risk of the power… he may be too frightened to use it."

She smiled at the thought and began to devise plans and strategies that would exploit his fears. She also devised counter strategies in the case that he was not afraid to use the full power. Whatever Strom was planning to throw at her, she made a plan for. And if all else fails… she would then go all out.

 **Hmm I thought that I would make this chapter a little longer than what it is, but I guess that's writer's block hitting hard again. Definitely doesn't help when work is overloading you with hours. Well until next time this is SirArondight riding off.**


	37. Valentine's Day Special

**It's that time of year. Valentine's Day, a day of spending time with your special someone doing special someone things such as: Romantic walks in the park, eating chocolates together, dates… or if you do not have a special someone: Eating chocolates after Valentine's Day since they will be on sale, keeping yourself occupied to pass they day. Or you can be like me and work through the day alone and not be able to do much of either.**

 **But, this isn't a time of getting depressed that you haven't found someone yet. Don't worry so much about it. If you are in a happy relationship, awesome! I hope you two have a long lasting relationship. Alright, enough about Valentine's Day in real life, instead let's read about Valentine's Day in Remnant XD. The setting is at Beacon and there was no fall of Beacon so yeah let's go. I hope you all enjoy.**

Valentine's Day Special: The Great Gift of Chocolate

The day began with a fresh blanket of snow covering the grounds of Beacon and Vale. The sun rose into the sewn drapes of Team RWBY's dorm room and woke up Ruby. She stretched in her bed and looked at the calendar to see that it was Valentine's Day. She tried to stay awake as she read the words with drooping eyes before turning in her bed and covered herself with her warm blanket. She began to think about the day and tried to fall back to sleep when something clicked in her mind. She rose up quickly with eyes wide open.

"It's Valentine's Day guys!" Ruby shouted before she leapt out of her bed and landed on the floor with a loud thump. Her voice woke up Weiss and Blake while the thump she made woke up the only member who had to sleep in the bathtub.

"Ruby, it's way too early to be getting excited over Valentine's Day." Weiss groaned as she looked at the date. "Besides we have a day filled with school and training."

"You may want to look at your scrolls." Blake said as Strom rushed out the bathroom slightly wet from the water.

"Is everyone alright?" Strom asked as the female members of his team were looking at their scrolls. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"Due to the excessive amount of snow that has fallen over the night, the faculty has decided to cancel classes for the day." Weiss read aloud for everyone to hear. "Oh great which means…"

"Valentine's Day is a go!" Ruby shouted with glee and vibrated with joy. "Now I can hope to get all the chocolate and eat it too!"

"Ohh Ruby," Weiss said and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright so maybe Strom can just use his semblance to melt all of the snow."

"Well I can do that…" Strom said as another message pinged onto his scroll. "Strom, you will not use your semblance to melt away the snow. Take the time to enjoy the day off, sincerely Ozpin."

"Well I guess that we should all get ready for what is to come." Blake said having an idea of what is to come. "This could be a long day for some."

"I hope not, the last thing I need to worry about is Jaune trying to serenade me with whatever he has in plan." Weiss said and looked at Yang. "How is she still sleeping through all of this?"

"She does this every Valentine's Day. Sleeps in and avoids a lot of guys." Ruby said and crept closer to her sister's bed. "Although she may miss a breakfast made by her boyfriend~"

Ruby's words had her intended effect. Yang's cowlick on top of her head made a heart as Yang pulled her covers over the side of her head. Ruby saw this and giggled a little while Blake and Weiss couldn't help but smile and watch Yang get teased. Strom snuck off after getting dressed leaving the girls to get ready at their leisure.

"Alright Strom has left. Yang, it's safe for you to plan now." Ruby said checking outside to make sure that Strom was long gone. Yang leapt from her bed with a very large smile.

"Wasn't she going to sleep all day?" Weiss asked as both Yang and Ruby snickered at their little lie.

"No, who doesn't want free chocolate?" Yang said with a grin before putting on a serious face. "Although if boys do try their luck on me I will just have to turn them down, but I don't think anyone will even try since Strom and I are together."

"Yeah I don't know anyone who would be that stupid." Ruby said as they all began to get dressed for the day. "The guys should be able to respect a relationship."

"You would be surprised Ruby." Blake said as if she was speaking from experience. "Not everyone is able to hold themselves back."

"I just hope that I will be able to have some peace and quiet." Weiss said as knocking was heard at their door. Weiss went to go answer and find out who it was. "Hello, who is it?"

"It's Jaune." Jaune answered as the door opened to find Jaune with five boxes of chocolate. "Happy Valentine's day guys."

"Happy Valentine's Day Jaune." Ruby responded with her eyes pinned on the boxes of chocolates.

"Please tell me that you did not buy five boxes of chocolates for me." Weiss said while she scowled at Jaune.

"Actually I made these, and brought one box for each of you guys. I have my day full already." Jaune said while taking a step back. "So, I'll just leave these here and get along with my day. Have fun."

"Chocolates!" Ruby cried out as she rushed out of the room, grabbed the chocolate boxes from Jaune and back into the room leaving a trail of rose petals along the way. "Thanks Jaune."

"No problem. Take care." Jaune said and went back into his dorm room as Weiss closed the door.

"Well, I may get some peace after all." Weiss said as she looked into the box of chocolates. "These actually look pretty good. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

"Perhaps." Blake sated when the door knocked again. She went to go answer the door and found Sun standing outside with some chocolates and a few books.

"Sup Blake, I thought that you would enjoy books more than chocolate, but I figured that you could get hungry." Sun said as he handed his gift over to Blake. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Thanks" Blake said and noticed that the box was already open and saw a wrapper out. She smiled and looked at Sun. "I'm guessing that you had one or two?"

"Hey, I was making sure that they were of good quality." Sun said looking away embarrassed. "Alright I got to get going. The guys wanted to do something today."

"Okay, have fun." Blake said before closing the door and set down her gifts on her bed. "Alright, I'm staying here to read."

"I would suggest that we all use this time to study and catch up with training… but I like the idea of having some time off." Weiss said as everyone took a step away from her and looked at her like they had no idea who she was. "What? We can't work twenty-four hours a day."

"Who are you and what did you do to Weiss?" Yang asked in fear of their white team member being replaced by someone else.

"Oh quiet you, so what are you two going to do today?" Weiss asked the sisters.

"Well, I'm just going to go around and deliver chocolates to all of my friends, and pick up a mountain-load of more chocolate to eat." Ruby said with a smile as she grabbed her chocolates and ran out the door.

"I am just going to get my special surprise ready for Strom and maybe just spend the day with him. And certainly get my little surprise ready beforehand." Yang said before stepping into the bathroom. "Before all of that, I'm going to make sure I look my best for him."

Strom made his way to the kitchen that the students could use for everyday purposes. He met Ren and Nora who were making pancakes with chocolate chips. Nora was helping out by eating all of the pancakes drenched in maple syrup.

"Hey, I see that you two are having fun." Strom said and Ren nodded while flipping another pancake.

"Hihh Fromm" Nora said with a mouth full of pancakes.

"Nora, please don't talk with your mouth full." Ren said and put another pancake onto her plate.

"Okay." Nora said after swallowing what was in her mouth. "So what brings you to the kitchen?"

"Oh I was just thinking about making something for Yang." Strom said and rubbed the back of his head.

"Awwww, that's so sweet." Nora said before devouring another pancake. "Good luck with that Strom."

"Thanks. I just hope that there's still some chocolate left." Strom said and looked around the kitchen. "It's all gone isn't it?"

"That would be a yup~" Nora sang as she looked at her scroll and went back to eating her pancakes.

"Oh I know now!" Strom said and got out cake mix, canned pineapples and a jar of cherries. "I can make a Valentine's Day heart cake."

Nora's eyes shined and she leapt and grabbed the jar of cherries and rushed out the door. Ren and Strom were just standing there in shock before Strom began to race after her.

"Nora! Get back here I need that!" Strom shouted as he ran down the hall. Ren stood there and watched as Yang came on in.

"Is everything going according to the plan?" Yang asked and received a nod from Ren. "That's good. I wish that I didn't have to do it like this though."

"I'm sure that he'll get a kick out of it." Ren said as he pulled out a bag of chocolate.

"Thank you, I'll try to work as fast as I can that way he can get what he wants to make." Yang said and got to work on making her chocolates. "How long do you think Nora can keep him busy?"

"Under normal means, not very long, however she just had 8 chocolate chip pancakes." Ren said and then shivered in fear of how hyper she would be. "She'll keep him busy."

"Nora!" Strom shouted as the two ran out through the snowy fields. Nora somehow found enough time to change into her snow gear while Strom was just keeping up and used his semblance to stay warm. Nora kept on running and running until she got to the cliff of where she began initiation. Strom caught up to her and stopped.

"I like this spot, it's peaceful." Nora said and looked at the snow covered forests.

"It is nice, but I still need those cherries." Strom said and walked closer to Nora.

"Yeah, here you go." Nora said and held out the jar of cherries for Strom to grab. "I don't like cherries in the first place."

"Well thank you." Strom said and took a few steps forward and heard some gears activate. Nora smirked as Strom frowned.

"Have fun~" Nora sang as Strom was launched off the cliff. "Consider this payback for the giving me Ren's horrible green juice and for not writing about team JNPR for many chapters!"

"What does the second part have to do with anything?!" Strom shouted as he flew through the air remembering the food fight.

Nora skipped back into the kitchen and began eating the rest of the pancakes that Ren made as Yang finished up with her chocolate project. When Nora finished up the last pancake, she walked over to Yang's workspace and put Strom's cherries back where he could find them.

"So, how is your plan going along?" Nora asked as she has completed her part. "Strom got launched off the pads so he'll be out for a little bit."

"Well, I guess that'll have to work. Now I'll just get these into the dorm and then spend time with Strom." Yang said as she wrapped up the chocolates. "All done, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"All right, see you in a few." Nora said and waited and watched Yang leave. Minutes went by until she heard footsteps from the hall and saw Strom enter the kitchen out of breath. "Hey Strom, did you have a good climb?"

"Give me… a good reason… that I shouldn't skin you alive." He said trying to take breaths in between his words.

"Because I asked Yang to come here." Nora said as Yang came through the door. "Hello again friend."

"Oh cool Strom you're here too." Yang said and smiled brightly. "Nora said that you wanted help to make something, so I thought that it would be nice to make something together."

Strom looked back at Nora and pointed his finger at her while she grinned widely. "I'll think of something later."

"Have fun~" Nora said and left smiling brightly and gave Yang a fist bump on her way out.

"So what did you want to make?" Yang asked sweetly.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, but maybe baking a cake together will be very fun." Strom said softening into a smile. "Would you be so kind to join me?"

"I think that I would be very much happy to do so." Yang said and they walked over to the counter. "Oh, are we making pineapple cake?"

"Very close," Strom said with a smile. "We're making pineapple upside-down cake, but it's essentially the same as what you just said."

"Alright then how do you want to split this up?" Yang asked and hopped up onto the counter. "Fifty-fifty, sixty-forty, one hundred-zero?"

"How about you make the cake batter and I'll cut up the fruit and set up the cake pan?" Strom asked to see if Yang would be alright with the work.

"Awesome, let's get started." Yang said and grabbed the cake mix and everything that she will need to get the batter ready as Strom began cutting up cherries. A few minutes went by of casual conversation as Yang got the batter ready. "Hey does this look right?"

"I trust you Yang, I'm certain that the batter is fine." Strom said as he sprinkled brown sugar into the cake pan, covering the pineapples and cherries.

"But what about the texture?" Yang asked as a mischievous thought crossed her mind. "It doesn't feel right to me."

"I'll look at it then." Strom said as Yang held out a handful of the sticky batter. He looked at the batter as Yang smeared some on to his face and cracked up laughing. "Oh, so you think that's funny huh?"

"No it's hilarious." Yang said in between her laughing fits until she found herself with two cherries on her cheeks. "Oh, now it's on."

The next ten minutes were nothing but laughter and food flying in the air. Strom and Yang knew that they would have to clean up the mess and make more batter. It also became more solidified when Professor Goodwitch walked in due to the noise. She didn't punish them after being promised some cake. The two teens began to clean up the mess and bake the cake and didn't want to press their luck any further.

"That was fun." Yang said as she cleaned up the last of the batter from their little food fight. "Hopefully next time you won't start the food fight."

"What? What? You started the food fight." Strom argued while laughing as he cut up the cake.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have retaliated after the first strike." Yang fired back with a smile.

"Well… you make a good point, but either way we had had fun." Strom said getting out two pieces of cake. "Here you go."

"Thank you very much." Yang said as they began to eat their cakes. "I have a surprise for you back at the dorm."

"More surprises?" Strom said and smiled. "Sure, this day has already been a big surprise."

They left the kitchen with the cake and made sure that Prof. Goodwitch had received her cake without any issues before returning to their dorm for the day.

"So what is this surprise that you have for me?" Strom asked as he and Yang entered the dorm room.

"Well, hold out your hands and close your eyes." Yang said and began to speak before Strom could open his mouth. "Yes, I'm talking about your aura vision."

"Okay," Strom replied and did what he was told. A bag was placed into his hands as he began to look. "Aww, chocolates. Thank you very much Yang."

"You're welcome, I made them myself today." Yang said as Strom opened up one of the chocolates. "I even decorated them by carving very carefully with tools and-MHPH!"

"I'm sorry, but I thought it would be very cute to watch you eat your work." Strom said while laughing loudly and ate one of the chocolates. "This is very good. I just wish I could have made you some."

"Eh, it's fine. You baked a cake with me and spent time together, that's all I can really ask for." Yang said after she finished the chocolate. "This is all I wanted, just you, me and a day full of events."

They stayed in the dorm room for five minutes eating the chocolates before a thought crossed Strom's head and spoke out loud. "Do you want to cuddle together?"

"Please!" Yang instantly shouted and they both slapped their mouths shut before bursting into laughter.

"I like this. I hope that we can do this more often in the near future." Strom said as they cuddled together on Blake's bed and fell asleep.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Strom." Yang said before they drifted off.

"Same to you Yang." Strom said with a peaceful smile. "Same to you."

 **Well, I hope that this was fluffy like a pillow and that you all enjoyed reading my stories. I still feel like I can improve though. Well it's time to tackle the final Chapter of Volume 5 Fighting Fury… and I have yet to choose its fate. But until then, this is SirArondight riding off.**


	38. Chapter 32

**It's here! It's finally here! We have reached the end of Volume 5. Will I continue the story or will I wait until Volume 6 you can find out at the bottom. And I just want to take the time and look at some of the stats for the story up to this point…**

 **Favorites: 60**

 **Followers: 75**

 **Review/Comments/Questions: 35**

 **I'm surprised that I have made it this far with one story alone! You guys are all freaking Awesome. I see every one of those favorites, followers and reviews as people who I may have made their day a little better. And without further adieu I'll let you read what you want to read and not my ramblings. OwO have fun~**

Chapter 32: Clashing Fists

Qrow and Oscar were walking ahead of everyone else as they were making their way to the building of where the Headmaster of Haven Academy was going to meet them. Ruby and Weiss were talking to each other and getting caught up from their time apart. Ren, Nora and Jaune talked about the headmaster's sudden change of heart. Strom and Yang were walking with each other at the back of the group, occasionally taking glances at each other and blushing. Strom had both of his weapons on him because he feared about an incoming fight.

"Look alive kiddos, we're here." Qrow said and opened the doors to the building and stepped inside. "Leo, last time we talked you didn't want anything to do with this… Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Qrow… I wasn't expecting to see more of you here." Leo said in fear looking at the group. "And there are more of you this time."

"Yeah, well… things happened." Qrow said as Strom and Yang looked around the building. "The more the merrier."

"Mom?!" Yang shouted at the raven that was perched on the banister before moving away to get avoid getting shot at by Qrow. Raven landed behind Leonardo and shifted into her human form.

"Well that wasn't very nice." Raven said and walked down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" Qrow said with his weapon drawn and ready to fight. "I know you have the Spring Maiden."

"You're right that I do." Raven said as she reached to the bottom of the stairs. "I can't believe that you would come and try to attack me Qrow. Thankfully Leo here let me get a heads up of what was to come."

"Leo…" Qrow said and sheathed his weapon before turning back to face his sister. "We can beat Salem. We can work together."

"After all of these years you sent gathering information for Ozpin you still don't know what you are going up against." Raven said with a scowl. "There is no beating her."

Strom shook his head a little and was noticed by Raven. Ruby stepped up to talk before Raven. "Yes we can. We have done things that many people who call impossible to do because we didn't do them alone, but rather together. So please… we can work together to beat Salem."

"You sound just like your mother." Raven said before opening a portal. Every sense that Strom had was screaming danger and reacted as a fireball came out of the portal. He threw a fireball of his own to collide and blow up the other one.

"Awww, how disappointing," Cinder said as she walked out of the portal. Emerald, Mercury, and Vernal accompanied Cinder through the portal. "Hello again, it's been too long."

"Cinder," Ruby said with some slight venom in her voice.

"Awww, come on guys." Mercury said as if he was still acting as a friend. "I thought you would be happy to see us again."

"Everyone just stay calm." Qrow said as everyone was getting ready to pull out their weapons.

Hazel opened up the doors and entered and closed them before walking inside the building. "The White Fang are planting bombs all around the school, No one is getting in… and no one is leaving."

"Oh no…" Oscar said and knew that trouble was coming.

"Raven…" Qrow said with venom dripping from every syllable of her name. "How long have you been working with them?"

"Don't be so upset little bird." Cinder said with a smug smile. "Raven is the newest member and very recently too. As for Leo… he has been with us for a very long time now. Having the Vytal festival entry was a treat, but he's been sending information to Salem all that time. Aren't I right professor?"

"Stop it…" Leo said in shame and hung his head.

"It was you… You sit at the Mistral Council and have information to every Huntsman and Huntress in the kingdom." Qrow said glaring at the headmaster. "I couldn't find any of them. You let Salem kill them…"

"I'm certain that Hazel and Tyrian would have found them eventually." Cinder said in a false comforting tone. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"What is wrong with you?!" Jaune began to ask as his emotions took over him. "How are you so broken inside? You kill all of those people and then come back to rub it in our faces like it an accomplishment to be proud of!"

"Jaune…" Nora said worried about her leader.

"Jaune, please…" Strom said knowing that Jaune has a huge grudge against Cinder.

"All with that damn smile on your face!" Jaune cried out as tears fell. Weapons began to be drawn by everyone.

"Stay calm everyone!" Qrow tried to command but failed since more weapons were drawn out.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did!" Jaune shouted and wanted to hear something from the criminal. "Do you hear me?! Say something!"

"Who are you again?" Cinder asked and knew that it would be the beginning of the fight as Jaune charged in with Crocea Mors and struck Cinder's blade.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted and tried to jump into the fight and strike at Cinder from above but was caught by Emerald's weapon.

"You aren't getting close to her." Emerald said as Yang tried to help Jaune but Mercury jumped into her immediate path.

"Hey there Blondie." Mercury said with a whistle. "I think that you should apologize for our fight being interrupted."

"Sorry but your dead associate put up a better fight than you ever could." Yang quipped back before launching herself at Mercury.

"Vernal, take care of the heiress." Raven commanded. "She's not worth for you to use your power on."

Qrow rushed in at struck at Raven with the intention to kill. Raven was swift enough to bring up her weapon to block it. Strom threw a ball of flames at her and she kicked back Qrow and dodged the attack.

"Running away was one thing but this crosses the line!" Qrow shouted as Strom ran up and began to attack.

"Hmm, you made a good move to attack me while I was distracted… but there is another friend for you to play with boy." Raven said and opened up a portal and Typhon leapt out and slammed Strom with a right hand, sending him back to the wall. "So… where were we brother? Oh I remember, I was disappointing you with my choices just like family."

"What the hell is that?" Qrow asked as Raven began to fight back.

"Don't worry about it…" Raven said and began to put Qrow on the defense. "It's the boy's death coming soon."

Oscar began to sneak up the stairs to confront with the headmaster as Hazel closed in on Ren and Nora. Leo watched the fighting and turned to face the young man.

"I don't know who you are, but for your sake you should leave now." The faunus headmaster said and prepped his weapon. "I'm warning you!"

Oscar continued to walk forward and drew Ozpin's cane. The Headmaster of Haven looked at it and recognized who it belonged to.

"Ozpin?" Leo questioned as Oscar got ready to fight.

"Not quite," Oscar said before attacking the headmaster.

Strom bounced off the wall and got up with a groan to get a long look at what had hit him as Weiss and Vernal fought with each other. He took one look to find a black void walking towards him and as he focused more onto what it is his fears became true. He was fighting Grimm, but one that he couldn't recognize and yet gave him a sense of familiarity.

"I don't know what you are… but you are not going to stay around for much longer." Strom said as Typhon charged at him. Strom let out a stream of flames to kill the Grimm, but it wasn't working. The beast was continuing its charge and treated the flames like it was nothing. "Okay… that's a little new to me."

He dodged a punch from the beast and swung a kick which should have crushed the arm of the beast, but all it did was made a huge boom from the force he put into it. He retreated a little before trying to punch the head of the Grimm in order to snap its spine and yet every effort he tried to use to kill the Grimm quickly was not working. Strom was not quick enough and received another strong punch into his gut and sent him back into the wall and left a large dent. He was having a hard time breathing since the air was literally forced out of him and he heard the beast grunt repeatedly as if it laughing at him.

"Alright… nothing I did is working..." Strom said trying to catch his breath. He looked at the weapons that he brought and drew out the greatsword. "I really hope that you can help me out here Aquilo. This thing is not going down easily. And my semblance isn't going to help if there are bombs everywhere…"

Typhon leapt at Strom and was met with a big sword stopping its left hand from grabbing him. The sword's bladed edge slowly pierced the skin and traveled down to bone and the Grimm retreated.

"Thanks buddy." Strom said pleased that something worked. "Maybe I will use this after all."

Typhon roared loudly and watched its left hand heal up quickly to Strom's surprise. The Grimm beast leapt at Strom as Jaune and Cinder charged at each other. Ruby activated her silver eyed power and made Cinder and Typhon drop down in pain before Emerald knocked her out. Typhon immediately turned towards the fallen red reaper and charged to eliminate the source of the pain.

"Ruby!" Yang cried out and rushed to punch the Grimm that was about to attack her sister but didn't see that Mercury followed pursuit and was about to axe kick to the back of her head.

"No…" Strom growled angrily as adrenaline pumped so much into him as he launched himself at the small group and kicked Mercury's side and sent him into Emerald as Yang sent the Grimm into the wall. Weiss cried out in pain as her aura ran out from Vernal's weapons. Typhon quickly recovered and focused on Strom again before charging back into the fight. Strom made sure to be the first to meet the beast with the greatsword but he made a mistake. He misjudged the length of the blade and swung it down too early. Typhon seized the opportunity and broke the blade with a powerful punch and then kicked Strom at the temple of his skull and sent him back into the wall.

Strom got up and watched his aura fade out and wasn't going to be able to protect him from another major blow. He got distracted as he saw Cinder's spear sail through the air and impaled Weiss to notice that the broken blade was flying at him. The blade pierced him through his right side. He quickly took out the blade and pressed his clothes into the wound.

' _Strom… need a hand?'_ White and Black asked the bleeding huntsman in training.

"Yeah… think that I could heal this wound?" Strom asked quietly as the Grimm came in for the kill. It shot out its left hand to crush the skull, but Strom slapped the hand aside with his own left arm, now shining with a white and black band circling around his forearms and wrists. The Grimm grabbed the blade again with the right and tried to stab Strom in the forehead, but Strom dodged it at the last possible moment. The broken blade only made a single cut the band covering Strom's eyes, revealing two red eyes focused on the target in front of him.

' _Technically it's not healing, but it is slowing down the bleeding. However you should end this fight quickly. You have about twenty to thirty minutes in this state with you injury.'_ White warned Strom.

"All the time in the world." Strom whispered as Raven, Cinder and Vernal went down to the Spring Maiden's Vault. He kicked Typhon into Hazel, who learned that Ozpin has been reincarnated into Oscar.

"Get off of me you dumb creature!" Hazel roared and shoved off the Grimm and stabbed his arms with raw thunder dust. "Ozpin!"

Strom didn't have a chance to help out the young teen fight off Hazel since the Grimm was charging right at him yet again. Ruby, Jaune and Nora were over by Weiss to get an update of the heiress's condition. Yang was busy fighting Emerald and Mercury and kept her from chasing after her mother. Ruby joined up with her sister to help take on the duo while Strom was busy keeping the monstrous Grimm at bay. He could sense something going on outside but was too focused on what was in front of him.

"Adam" Blake shouted as police light singled out White Fang members. "It's over! Give up now and surrender!"

"You're too late Blake! Haven falls now!" Adam shouted as he took out the bomb trigger and pressed the button but nothing happened. Many if not all of the White Fang members were frightened that they were going to be blown up.

"You planned to kill us all?!" One of the members asked as Adam grew more frustrated.

"Why didn't it work?!" His frustration grew as Blake and Sun began to close in on Adam.

"We already disarmed the bombs Adam, it's over." Blake said as Ilia came out from the dark.

"You are still scarred of me Blake I can see it." Adam hissed as he drew out his weapons and attacked Blake who blocked it. Sun came in and attacked with his staff as Adam used the sheath to block that attack. Hazel was thrown out of the building thanks to Nora being powered up from the thunder dust crystals. "And now I have more powerful friends than you could ever imagine!"

"Don't try to drag me into this now." Hazel said and stood up. "This is your business after all."

Adam looked at the man with rage seeing that he was not going to receive any assistance. He pushed off Blake and Sun before running into the woods. Sun wanted to chase after Adam, but Blake stopped him from doing so. Hazel was about to turn around and enter the building but was impaled by the stinger of what would appear to be Grimm, but it had a blue aura around it. Weiss was recovered and summoned a White Queen Lancer that fired the stinger into Hazel. He removed the stinger from him and began to slowly heal, his semblance helping out with the pain. He injected raw fire dust crystals into his arms and threw a mighty fireball at the summoned beast and ended its short summoned lifespan.

Strom's breathing was beginning to get a little heavier as the fight went on. Neither he nor the Grimm Typhon were making any progress over the other. Whatever Strom hit the Grimm with would just push the monster a little. Strom was able to dodge most of the Grimm's attacks made and those that did hit him just did nothing thanks to the power of the gem. However in a game of who would fall first, Strom would win that before the Grimm would. He needed to change something about this situation and fast.

He planned on a change of strategy and was about to use his semblance at a higher degree, but Typhon managed to hit him in the side where the wound was. Strom stumbled to the ground and tried to recover quickly, but yet again the Grimm was ready for him and grabbed him by the head and slammed it into the ground and dragged him all the way to the wall. Strom's head was beginning to bleed from some of the cuts and scrapes that he just received.

"Update please?" Strom asked the duo in his mind.

' _Well aside from that the beast is currently beating you up like no tomorrow,'_ Black said as Strom scowled a little. _'Alright, I get it. This beast has basically cut down the time to at most five minutes, and given your injuries should indicate that you need to end this now. As in… five minutes ago now.'_

"I figured…" Strom said as he saw the Grimm run off for something. He saw that Blake was with Weiss and fending off enemies from getting to the vault entrance and Yang was running towards the entrance as well as the Grimm. "This ends now."

Strom leapt forward, trying his hardest to get to the entrance before the hulking Grimm could. Yang just got away from Mercury by letting her right arm fire off like a rocket. She turned to see the hulking beast reaching for her right but a flash of white light appeared in front of the Grimm. Strom appeared from that light and with all of the bands glowing brightly and launched a punch with intense ferocity into the chest of Typhon. The punch connected and launched the beast straight through the roof and out of the city of Haven leaving nothing but a huge boom for everyone to hear. Everyone saw the feat of power and just stopped doing everything.

"Don't just stand there Yang, go now!" Strom shouted and she came to her senses. He saw Leo leave in fear after watching that Grimm fly. "Huh, out of my sight range. Well good thing that Haven is not too big of a city."

"It looks like that you are the biggest fish to fry here." Hazel said as he walked closer to Strom.

"I'll try to think of that as a compliment and not a race thing." Strom responded walked closer to him knowing that he was at a slight disadvantage before being stopped by Oscar.

"Strom, Yang may require your assistance. And I shouldn't keep you from her now should I?" Ozpin said with a slight tone of Oscar's mixed in with it and followed with a small smile. "Go… We'll take care of the rest."

"Alright," Strom said with a smile and went after Yang down the entrance to the vault. Which was then frozen shut by Weiss.

"So, this has been an eventful day hasn't it?" Strom asked while making a small smile. "Get shot, find your mother, travel across who knows how much land in a single moment, get betrayed by the headmaster of Haven and fight a human-like Grimm that I feel like I have fought before. And now we hurled ourselves down an elevator that has already gone down."

"Very true, but we can't stop now Strom." Yang said as the bottom was coming up. "Grab on."

As instructed Strom wrapped himself around Yang's back as she used Ember Celica to bring them both to a slower fall and not crush their bones. They stood up to find Raven standing up, Vernal dead on the floor, and Cinder nowhere to be found. Yang walked on to confront her mother while Strom looked around for Cinder.

"I suppose that I must congratulate you both for making it here." Raven said and looked at the Vault of the Spring Maiden that she opened. "I suppose that you're both going to try and stop me from taking this."

"What happened here? Where is Cinder?" Strom asked as he continued to search the room.

"You can stop looking… she's no longer here." Raven said coldly. "She more than likely has shattered into many pieces from being frozen and hitting a rock or something."

"Alright…" Strom said looking slightly sad down into the hole. The bands of light on his arms fading out and he collapsed on the ground holding onto his wound.

"Strom, are you okay?" Yang asked in concern and knelt by him.

"I'll be fine Yang, just make sure that you get the Relic and no one else." Strom said and focused on breathing and staying calm. He saw the worried look on her face and in her eyes. He sent Yang a big smile. "You got this Yang. Sorry I can't go on further."

"It's fine, just don't die on me. I may kick your butt if you do." Yang said and stood up before turning to face her mother. She took a deep breath of air before walking towards her mother on her own.

' _Are you going to be alright Strom?'_ White asked out of concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Definitely was unprepared for whatever that thing was."

' _True, but on the bright side you did send him very far away.'_ Black said remembering the scene. _'You're starting to get better with your powers.'_

"Yeah, but I still have a long ways to go." Strom said and looked towards Yang to see how she was handling her mother. "Talking is good. No fighting at least."

He focused on staying awake and making sure that he kept up the pressure on his wound. He couldn't afford to pass out from bleeding out, and he certainly couldn't let Yang fight her mother if things turned out that way even if he was in no better shape to fight. He listened to them talk and shout at each other for a little bit. He could hear a certain tone in Raven's voice as she cried. He took the tone as sounding remorseful before the pain of the wound started to flare a little. He heard a tear drop and some footsteps coming his way. He saw Raven looking at him sadly and with her weapon drawn out.

"Look I don't want to fight-" Strom began to speak before Raven held her hand out as to offer him up.

"I'm not here to fight, I'm not strong enough." She said and looked to her right to look at Yang again. "Please… Strom… don't let anything happen to her. Keep her safe from Salem. Should it ever come to a point that you all have to face Salem… please do me this favor and do whatever you can to get her away from Salem."

"I promise that I'll see that she stays safe. I can't promise to make her run away from Salem. She is free to choose her fights, but I will do my best to keep her safe." Strom promised and closed his eyes and took Raven's hand and she lifted him up. "I'm sorry that's all I can promise."

"I guess that will have to be good enough for me." Raven said and let him free after he was on his feet. She walked towards the elevator and opened up a portal. "You know, I think that you should play the violin again. Hopefully next time you won't get interrupted."

"Huh, wait." Strom said and turned around as Raven walked through her portal and left. He sighed a little and turned back to face Yang who was walking into the vault. He began to walk towards the vault at a slow pace. He watched her pick up the Relic and held onto it before falling onto her knees and began to cry. Strom quickly rushed over to her and hugged her from behind silently. They stayed together that way for a while before standing up and they walked together, Yang holding the Relic with her only available arm, and Strom holding onto the Relic with his right while his left held pressure on his right side.

"I hope everyone is still okay." Yang said as the elevator began to rise up.

"I am certain that they are kicking butt up there. We do have the numbers advantage after all." Strom replied with a smile.

"Thank you Strom." Yang said and looked at him with a warm smile. "Thank you for everything. I probably would have cried for a lot longer if you weren't there for me."

"Yang… you aren't alone. You have all of us: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Qrow, and even Oscar and Ozpin are here, even if we aren't within close proximity of each other." Strom said and Yang smirked. "What? Oh right Taiyang and Zwei, I'm sorry."

"You forgot about yourself sweetie- silly!" Yang said getting a little nervous and flustered as Strom met her eyes with his own.

"Yang, would you like to be in a relationship with me again?" Strom asked with a warm smile. "I was hoping that I could ask before all of this, or at least a better time. Sometimes one has to take the best opportunity in a moment's notice. So, I'll ask you again Yang, would you like to be in a relationship with me again?"

"Strom, I would not like to be in a relationship with you. I would love to be in a relationship with you." Yang said and pressed her lips against his to his surprise. She broke off the kiss and smiled. "And that was for earlier today, as well as proof."

"Well, I guess that it's official again." Strom said happy as can be and noticed that they were getting to the top. "We're almost at the top, ready to get back into the brawl since the enemy is still here?"

"I guess, hopefully they are close to defeat if they are still around." Yang said as she came to see Hazel, Mercury and Emerald breathing heavily but still standing. Yang raised up the Relic with Strom and Emerald fell onto her knees realizing that Cinder did not return and began to cry.

"Emerald, we need to leave now." Mercury said trying to get Emerald moving. "Emerald!"

"No…" Emerald quivered and looked around in fear. She cried out loudly and snapped. "NOO!"

Everyone except for Strom and Emerald's two male members began to see a lot of black mist swarm up in a single spot and Salem stood and grew large and became more gruesome. With a monstrous howl that everyone heard while Hazel carried Emerald and ran away with Mercury into the forest. Strom heard the horrible scream and tensed up greatly ready to fight something that he couldn't see. Within a few moments the illusion went away and everyone began to relax a little.

"What was that?" Blake asked frightened about what she just saw.

"An illusion, albeit accurate" Ozpin said and walked a little closer to the group. "That… was Salem."

Blake sighed before looking over to her right to find her father, mother, and Sun rushing up to her and was brought in a hug. Yang and Strom walked together down the stairs and handed the Relic to Qrow. Yang stayed to talk to her Uncle while Strom walked over to Weiss and Ruby who fell down. Strom joined Ruby by lying down on his back next to her and pressed on his wound again.

"Are you two alright?" Strom asked and smiled at the two as Ruby called Jaune over. Jaune placed his hands over Strom and tried to focus on sending some of his aura over to the bleeding teen and watched as the bleeding came to a stop and the wound closed up. "Oh that feels a lot better. I always dislike running out of active aura. Thank you Jaune."

"It's no problem Strom." Jaune said and then stepped away to rejoin his team as Blake joined team RWBY again.

"Hello Blake. It feels like yesterday that I was talking to you." Strom said knowing what was going to come to him.

"That's because it was yesterday!" Blake shouted and laughed lightly as Yang joined with them. "So, aside from Strom… what brings you all here?"

"Well… that's a long story." Ruby said and smiled at Blake.

"Well… I'm not leaving." Blake responded with a small smile.

"And that's all that matters." Ruby said and looked around her team before looking at Yang. "Right?"

Yang looked at Blake with an indifferent expression before softening it. "Yeah"

Blake knelt down and joined a hug with the rest of the girls of the team. Strom closed his eyes and smiled at the four. Sun came up to the five with a small box in his hand.

"Hey Strom, so I know who that you told me to not touch this box, but the house caught on fire after you left and I figured that you can't be too mad if I saved it." Sun said with a smirk and handed him the box before realizing that Yang was right there too. "Oh, I should have done that later."

"Well, I would say that it's alright of a time. I would have liked to wait a little later, but I guess now is fine." Strom said and smiled at Yang before presenting the box to her and Qrow drew out his sword. "Oh relax Qrow, it's a gift for Yang and I have been beating myself up about it."

"What is this Strom?" Yang asked curious to what was inside the box.

"It was a gift that I wanted to give to you before or after the Vytal Festival." Strom said and opened the box revealing a gold ring with an amethyst jewel as the featured stone. "Granted it's not real, so you won't have to worry about losing it too much."

"Of course I will worry about it, you got it for me. That's all I could ever ask for." Yang said looking at the ring and smiled brightly. "So should I put it on my left or right?"

"I can put it on your right hand if you would like as soon as we find it." Strom said as Yang looked over to where she shot her right arm off. "Hey there it is!"

"Could someone be so kind to bring it to me?" Strom asked as he rested while Sun ran to get the arm in question and brought it back. "Thanks Sun, so which finger Yang?"

"The ring finger please." Yang responded as Strom used his semblance to gently weld the ring to Yang's prosthetic hand and made it look as natural as possible. Strom handed back her arm and she placed her arm back onto herself. She looked at the work done to him and felt very happy. "Thank you Strom. So, who wants to share stories while I kick Sun and Blake's butt for letting Strom go out alone."

"I think that I want to hear her story first actually." Weiss said as everyone got a little comfortable. "So, Blake… what's your story?"

The forests were quiet and as peaceful as Grimm infested forests could be. Beowolves were walking in a pack towards some wild deer when a black mass crashed into a tree nearby and made it crack and split from the force. The deer ran away from the surprising noise and the pack of Grimm turned their attention to the fallen object. They could sense a human soul from the breathing beast, but they saw Grimm features on the creature of question. Many of the younger Grimm growled and one leapt to attack the creature with the human soul, but was then grabbed at the torso and crushed by Typhon. The black mist that came from the decaying Grimm was absorbed into the hulking beast.

The other younger Beowolves leapt on to try to take down the attacking Grimm while the older and wiser Beowolves crept away to hopefully get away from this monstrosity. All that could be heard is the crunching sounds of bones being broken. Typhon seemed to grow more powerful as more and more mist it absorbed. When all of the young Beowolves were killed and the mist was absorbed Typhon rushed away deeper into the forest to find more power. It only had one primary objective now.

'Gather as much power as possible and chase after the one with the Gem.' Salem's voice echoed in its mind. 'If you don't beat him next time gather all the power you can before coming back to me.'

 **YAY! Volume 5 comes to a close, and I made my decision to continue the story for multitude of reasons. Mainly, I just want to continue writing and this is my favorite story to work on. Secondly, I'm a little tired of waiting for the next Volume to come out, and last time I tried to put this story on Hiatus… well you all should know about the two other stories that I made that I haven't updated in a long time Ahehehehe…. ^_^;**

 **Anyways I hope you all have come to enjoy this series and I will see you all next time. This is SirArondight riding off.**


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